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."LECTURES 


ON    TIIK 


NATURE  AND   END 


OF   THE 


SACRED  OFFICE 


and  on  the 


DIGNITY,  DUTY,  QUALIFICATIONS,  AND 
CHARACTER, 


OF  THE 


SACRED  ORDER. 


BY  JOHN  SMITH,  D.D. 

ONE  OF  THE  MINISTERS  OF  CAMPEELTON, 


BALTIMORE, 

PUBLISHED    BY   A.  NEAL,   BOOK  SELEEPv,   WATEB- STREET. 

Magill  and  Clime,  Printers. 

1810. 


preface- 


About  fifteen  years  ago,  the  writer  of  the 
following  sheets  having  been  appointed  to 
preach  before  the  Annual  Meeting  oi  the  Sy- 
nod of  Argyll,  was  led,  by  this  circumstance, 
to  cast  his  eye  on  such  books  as  fell  in  his 
way,  relative  to  the  Nature  and  End  of  the 
Sacred  Office.  He  was  disappointed  in  not 
finding  that  any  treated  of  the  subject  fully 
and  in  a  distinct  and  regular  manner.  He 
thought  it  might  be  of  use  to  the  cause  of  re- 
ligion in  general,  and  especially  to  young  di- 
vines, to  have  the  nature,  extent,  and  impor- 
tance of  those  duties  which  the  ministers  of 
religion  are  called  to  discharge,  and  of  that 
character  which  they  are  called  to  bear,  deline- 
ated and  exhibited  in  one  connected  view. 
With  this  impression  upon  his  mind,  he  laid 
down  his  plan,  and  filled  it  up  with  the  most 
important  thoughts  which  occurred  to  him  upon 
the  different  parts  of  it,  supported  occasionally 
by  the  sentiments  of  others  on  the  same  sub- 
ject. 

But  the  greatest   difficulty  still    remained. 
The  scriptures,  from  which  he  wished  to  take 


IV  TREFACL. 

his  view  of  the  Nature  of  the  Sacred  Officey 
seemed  to  him  to  point  out  a  higher  walk  than 
what  is  sometimes  pursued;  and,  while  he 
wished  to  point  to  the  same  path,  he  was 
afraid  that  what  was  really  a  labour  of  love, 
might  be  considered  by  some  as  a  censure.  In 
order  to  get  over  this  difficulty,  and  to  avoid 
the  imputation  of  assuming  more  than  belong- 
ed to  him,  he  wished  to  publish  these  discour- 
ses under  the  veil  of  a  feigned  name,  as  the 
supposed  lectures  of  a  teacher  of  former  times  ;* 
to  whose  age  and  manner  of  thinking  and  act- 
ing, some  things  contained  in  them  might  ap- 
pear more  suitable  than  to  the  fashion  of  the 
present  times*  But  some  of  his  friends,  for 
whose  judgment  he  has  the  utmost  deference, 
urged  him  to  strip  them  of  this  little  machine- 
ry, and  to  speak  in  his  own  name.  The  times 
determined  him  to  comply,  and  to  bear  any 
animadversion,  if  such  awaited  him,  for  ha- 
ving discharged  what  he  considered  as  his 
duty,  and  the  duty  of  all  who  are  engaged  in 
the  same  cause  ;  which  is,  to  provoke  one  ano- 
ther to  love  and  to  good  works. 

*  Of  St.  Columba,  the  venerable  Abbot  of  lona,  and 
the  Apostle  and  Patron  Saint  of  the  Ancient  Scots,  an  ac- 
count of  whose  life  was  intended  to  be  prefixed  to  them, 
but  which  is  now  published  apart 


PREFACE, 


The  times  are  awful,  almost  beyond  exam- 
ple. A  justly  offended  God  threatens  to  de- 
prive us,  as  he  did  our  neighbours,  of  that  holy 
religion,  of  which  too  many  have  little  more  than 
the  name  and  mere  profession;  and  all  ourna- 
tional  efforts  are  vain,  if  his  favour  is  not  first 
obtained.  Our  only  safety  lies  in  effecting  a 
reconciliation  with  him,  by  repentance  and  re- 
formation of  manners.  And,  in  this  work,  the 
ministers  of  religion  should  take  the  lead,  and 
stir  up  all  the  spirit  that  is  in  them.  u  Nunc 
11  omnes  vocat  ultimus  labor."  The  axe  is  laid 
to  the  root  of  the  tree,  and  we  may  fear  it  shall 
be  cut  down,  if  it  bear  not  more  and  better 
fruit.  We,  it  is  to  be  feared,  as  wrelLas  the  peo- 
ple, if  weighed  in  the  balance,  will  be  found 
wanting.  What  though  our  morals  should  be  al- 
lowed to  be  correct,  and  our  doctrines  to  be  pure., 
may  we  not  still  be  wanting  in  what  is  no  less 
absolutely  necessary,  especially  at  present, 
strenuous  exertion  and  ardent  zeal  ?  Have  not 
we,  conforming  ourselves  too  much  to  the  fa- 
shion of  the  times,  fallen  from  our  first  love,  as 
well  as  the  people?  And  does  not  the  voice  of 
Providence  sound  in  our  ears,  as  well  as  in 
theirs,  Repent,  and  do  the  first  works,  or  else  I 
will  come  quickly  ? 

True  religion  is  at  a  low  ebb  ;  and  boch  open 
enemies  and  secret  foes  attempt  to  destroy  the 


VI  PREFACE. 

little  of  it  that  remains.  But,  if  we  exert  our- 
selves, it  is  impossible  to  say  what  we  may  yet 
effect.  The  best,  and  the  greatest  number  too, 
I  trust,  are  yet  disposed  to  show  favour  to  reli- 
gion, and  capable  of  being  roused  to  support- 
it,  if  we  raise  our  voice  aloud,  and  awake  them. 
Zeal  and  exertion  may  yet  save  us.  By  zeal 
and  exertion,  a  very  small  number  once  con- 
verted the  whole  nation  to  Christianity ;  and, 
by  the  like  means,  through  the  blessing  of 
God,  we  may  yet  effect  a  task  much  less  ardu- 
ous than  theirs.  The  laws  of  our  country  sup- 
port us  ;  and  the  rich  and  great,  if  they  know 
even  their  worldly  interest,  will  encourage  our 
zeal,  and  co-operate  with  our  exertion;  for 
they  may  now  see,  that,  on  the  existence  of  re- 
ligion, their  existence  too  depends.  The  poor 
will  applaud  our  zeal,  and  listen  with  pleasure 
to  our  more  animated  strain  of  preaching :  For, 
what  have  they  remaining,  if  fashionable  philo- 
sophy and  novel  doctrines  should  succeed  in 
taking  away  from  them  the  consolations  of  reli- 
gion ? 

Although  the  following  sheets  relate  chiefly 
to  the  Sacred  Order,  it  is  hoped  they  may  be 
perused  by  others  also  with  advantage.  All 
christians,  in  all  stations,  should  consider  them- 
selves as  persons  who  expect  sqor  to  be  priests 


PREFACE.  Vll 

land  kings  with  God;  and  should  be  concerned 
to  promote  his  glory,  and  their  own  salvation, 
by  giving  every  aid  in  their  power,  to  the 
revival  of  a  spirit  of  piety,  devotion  and  reli- 
gion. In  such  a  period  as  the  present,  they 
should  rouse  themselves  up  from  that  torpid  in- 
difference to  religion,  which  has  unhappily  per- 
vaded all  ranks  of  people,  and  endeavour  to 
rekindle  the  decaying  flame,  lest  either  the 
lamp  should  of  itself  go  out,  or  lest  God  should, 
in  judgment,  remove  the  candlestick  out  of  it's 
place.  How  dark  and  full  of  horror  would  be  the 
night  that  should  then  ensue !  Should  the  sun  be 
torn  from  the  firmament,  the  world  would  not 
be  in  so  dismal  a  state,  as  that  in  which  it 
should  be  left,  if  the  light  of  Christianity  should 
be  extinguished,  and  only  the  dim  taper  of  rea- 
son substituted  in  it's  place.  This  taper  which 
owes  all  it's  boasted  light  to  borrowed  beams, 
would  be  of  little  avail,  if  the  sun  should  set. 
The  human  mind  would  soon  be  debased  by 
the  grossest  superstition,  and  the  most  polish- 
ed nations  would  sink  again  into  barbarism, 
ignorance,  and  idolatry.  Such  is  the  tenden- 
cy of  the  spirit  which  is  at  present  work- 
ing, and  of  those  principles  which  are  at  pre- 
sent spreading.  The  danger  of  their  preva- 
lence is  great  and  urgent,  and  every  lover  of 


viii  PREFACE. 

mankind  should  do  all  in  his  power  to  oppose 
them.  This  is  a  duty  which  admits  of  no  de- 
lay, and  calls  for  every  exertion.  If  the  follow- 
ing pages  shall  in  the  smallest  degree,  contri- 
bute to  rouse  pastor  or  people  to  a  higher  sense 
of  ther  duty  and  their  danger,  and  to  a  great- 
er regard  for  religion,  the  author  has  his  wish. 
In  any  event,  he  has  the  present  satisfaction, 
and  expects  the  future  reward,  of  having  in- 
tended well. 

May  God  endow  all  Christians  with  the  spi- 
rit of  their  calling,  and  with  a  warmer  zeal  for 
Christianity  J  May  he  endow  all  Ministers  of 
the  Gospel  with  the  spirit  of  their  office  !  And, 
as  he  has  ordained  them  to  be  the  light  of  the 
world,  may  their  light  so  shine  before  men,  that 
they,  seeing  their  good  wrorks,  may  glorify  their 
Father  which  is  in  heaven ! 


CONTENTS 


Page 
Lecture  I.  Introduction. — Of  the  Nature  and  End  of  the 
Sacred  Office,  and  the  Qualifications  ne- 
cessary for  the  Discharge  of  it,  1 
II.     That  a  Minister  of  the  Gospel  should  be  a 

Man  of  Prudence,  7 

III.  That  he  should  be  a  Man  of  Knowledge,  13 

IV.  That  he  should  be  a  Man  of  Piety,  £3 
V.     That  he  should  be  a  Man  of  Prayer,  31 

VI.     That  he  should  be  a  Man  of  Self-Denial,  47 

VII.     That  he  should  be  aManof  Heavenly-Mind- 

edness,  55 

VIII.     That  he  should  be  a  Man  of  Heavenly  Con- 
versation, 05 
1^.     That  he  should  be  a  Man  of  a  Holy  and  Ex- 
emplary Life,  78 

X.  That  he  should  be  a  Man  of  Meekness  and 

Lowliness  of  Mind,  89 

XI.  The  same  Subject  continued,  101 
XII.     That  he  should  be  a  Man  of  Zeal  and  Dili- 
gence,                                                                  109 

XIII.     The  same  Subject  continued,  124 

XIV%     That  he  should  be  a  Man  of  intense  Love  to 

his  People,  131 

XV.     That  he  should  be  a  Man  of  Sympathy  and 

Sensibility  of  Soul,  139 

XVI.     That  he  should  be  a  Man  of  Faithfulness  in 

Declaring  the  whole  Counsel  of  God,  149 

XVII.     The  same  Subject  continued,  157 

XVIII.     That  he  should  be  attentive  to  Clearness  of 

Method  and  Plainness  of  Stile,  1 1% 


CONTENTS, 


Page 
Lec.  XIX.     That  he  should  be  attentive  to  Proper  Enun- 
ciation and  Action  in  the  Delivery  of  his 
Sermons, 
XX.     That  he  should  be  at  Pains  to  repeat,  and 
not  Read  his  Sermons, 
XXI.     That  a  Minister  of  the  Gospel  should  be  soli 
citous  about  the  Success  of  his  Labours, 
XXII.     That  he  should  be  attentive  to  the  Daily  Du- 
ties of  his  Function. — 1 .  Catechising, 

XXIII.  Continued. — 2.  Pastoral  Vists, 

XXIV.  Continued. — 3.  Visiting  the  Sick, 
XXV.     Continued. — 4.  Discipline,  &c, 

XXVI.     That  he  should  be  attentive  to  Domestic  Du- 
ties, or  family  Religion, 
XXVII.     Of  the  Relaxations  of  a  Ministerof  the  Gos- 
pel, 
XXVIII.    Of  the  Duty  of  attending  to  the  Ordination 

and  Discipline  of  the  Sacred  Order,  274, 

XXIX.    Address  to  Candidates  for  the  Ministry,       f  83 


181 
194 
203 

209 

222 
228 
23& 

250 

25* 


LECTURES 


ON  THE 


SACRED  OFFICE 
OF  THE  GOSPEL  MINISTRY 


LECTURE  I, 


Introduction Of  the  Nature  and  End  of  the  Sacred 

Office,  and  the  Qualifications  necessary  for  the  Dls 
charge  of  it. 

MY  DEAR  BRETHREN, 

When  we  put  others  in  mind  of  their  duty  so  of- 
ten, it  cannot  surely  be  improper  to  be  sometimes  ad- 
monished of  our  own...."  It  is  readily  allowed  (may 
u  some  one  say) ;  but  what  right  have  you  to  assume 

"  the  office?" I  claim  no  peculiar  right  to  it,  my 

dear  brother ;  nor  do  I  set  about  it  from  any  vain 
persuasion  of  being  possessed  of  any  sanctity  or  ta- 
lents superior  to  yours.  No  ;  to  speak  in  a  becom- 
ing manner  of  the  most  august  office  under  heaven, 
and  to  address  the  most  venerable  of  the  sons  of 
men,  would,  I  well  know,  require  gifts  and  graces 
which  heaven  has  not  yet  been  pleased  to  bestow  on 
me.  And  if  any  other  had  stood  forth  to  discharge 
a  duty,  which  all  must  allow  to  be  proper,  and  which 
some  will  deem  to  be  necessary,  or  at  least  to  be  sea- 
sonable, I  should  have  gladly  sat  down  at  his  feet  and 
listened.     For  I  am  sensible  that  I  need  the  counsel 

B 


Z  LECTURE    U 

which  I  give,  much  more,  perhaps,  than  the  greater 
part  of  those  who  may  receive  it ;  and,  therefore,  a 
sense  of  it's  being  a  duty  incumbent  upon  all  of  us,  to 
admonish  one  another,  and  to  provoke  unto  love  and 
to  good  works,  is  that  alone  which  prompts  me  to  un- 
dertake this  labour  of  love  at  present. t  In  the  pro- 
secution of  it,  I  am  aware  I  must,  like  many  other 
preachers,  endure  a  degree  of  self-reproach,  for  falling 
short  of  that  holiness,  or  moral  excellence,  which  I 
reckon  my  duty  to  recommend.  But  this  pain  I  shall 
willingly  endure,  if  I  may  be  able  to  persuade  others, 
or  myself,  to  a  greater  degree  of  diligence  in  our  calk 
ing  than  we  have  hitherto  attained.  And,  as  I  would 
utter  nothing  inconsistent  with  that  respect  and  regard 
which  I  feel  for  my  brethren,  so  I  hope  to  be  forgiv- 
en if  1  speak  my  sentiments  also  with  that  undisguis- 
ed freedom  which  may  be  justly  expected  from  the 
character  which  we  all  bear ;  for  we  are  all  ambassa- 
dors for  Christ, 

Ambassadors  for  Christ !  how  august  the  title  ! 
how  high  the  character !  What  may  not  God  and 
men  expect  from  those  who  are  called  to  the  honour 
of  bearing  it !  The  idea  suggests  at  once  every  thing 
that  is  venerable,  every  thing  that  is  holy.  It  directs 
us  to  look  for  qualifications  of  the  highest  order  ;  for 
a  conduct  of  the  purest  kind.  For,  if  stations  of  hon- 
our and  trust  among  men  require  persons  of  know- 
ledge,  fidelity,  zeal,  and  the  like  accomplishments,  to 
iiil  them,  much  more  does  our  office  require  that  we 
should  be  possessed  of  qualifications  corresponding,  in 
some  measure,  to  the  high  and  holy  vocation  where- 
with we  are  called. 

t  Nee  prerogativa  mihimet  scientise,  si  haec  meis  consa- 
ccrdotibus  charitatis  intuitu  prserogem,  vindicabo,  aut  vitae 
perfectac  me  esse  fateor,  cum  de  vita  perfecta  alios  moneo  ; 
sed  potiuseum  haec  ad  illosloqui  ati(,leo,  simul  cum  illis  pupe- 
lorjuor  aimia,m,  £)  Ambro-s.  de.  Drgn.  Sacerd. 


LECTURE   L  £ 

and  to  ihe  precepts  of  His  gospel ;  and  charge  us  to 
suffer  none  who  will  not  do  all  this  to  have  lot  or  part 
in  the  holy  office. 

Such,  my  brethren,  arc  our  Master's  and  his  apos- 
tles'precepts,  in  regard  to  the  qualifications  requisite 
for  the  sacred  office,  and  the  proper  manner  of  dis- 
charging it :  and  wc  shall  have  frequent  occasion  to 
see,  in  the  sequel,  that  in  their  own  lives  they  were  all 
exemplified.  The  office  is  still  the  same,  and  the  same 
qualifications  arc  required  of  all  who  come  forward 
to  serve  in  it.  The  sum  of  these  is,  to  be  as  holy  as 
possible  ourselves,  and  as  diligent  and  zealous  as  pos- 
sible, to  make  others  also  holy. 

To  have  always  this  clear  and  fixed  view  of  the 
end  of  our  office,  would  be  of  great  moment  towards 
enabling  us  to  discharge  aright  all  its  duties.  It  wrould 
direct  us  what  to  say,  and  how  to  say  it,  so  as  may 
best  answer  the  purpose.  It  would  furnish  us  with 
a  just  standard  for  estimating  every  thought,  and 
teach  us  what  to  receive,  and  what  to  reject,  when 
we  compose  our  sermons.  This,  if  duly  attended  to, 
would  lead  us  to  the  most  useful  and  interesting  sub- 
jects, to  the  most  cogent  and  convincing  arguments, 
to  the  most  earnest  and  affecting  manner,  and  to  the 
most  powerful  and  persuasive  language.  It  would 
entirely  banish  from  our  pulpits  those  cold  and  un- 
important disquisitions  by  which  we  make  a  show  of 
learning,  and  those  glittering  and  rhetorical  harangues 
by  which  we  make  a  parade  of  speech.  It  would 
make  us  anxious  to  edify  and  to  persuade,  rather 
than  to  please  or  amuse,  and  to  recommend  our 
cause,  and  not  ourselves,  to  those  to  whom  we 
preach.  Yes ;  for  he  whose  only  aim  is  to  save 
souls,  is  in  no  danger  of  falling  into  those  fatal,  but 
common  errors.  To  please  or  get  applause,  is  never 
the  object  with  him,  but  to  convince,  to  persuade,  to 
profit.'    Wholly  devoted  to  his  heavenly  office,  he 


6  LECTURE   t. 

cares  for  nothing  but  what  tends  to  make  himself 
and  others  better  and  wiser. 

Be  this,  therefore,  the  star  by  which  we  shall  ever 
direct  our  course,  and  let  us  keep  our  eye  continual- 
ly fixed  upon  it ;  if  we  wish  to  save  our  own  souls 
and  those  that  hear  us.  This  premised,  we  go  on 
to  consider,  in  a  more  particular  manner,  the  qua- 
lifications necessary  for  those  who  would  discharge 
the  sacred  office  aright,  and  be  not  only  in  name,  but 
in  deed,  the  ministers  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus* 


LECTURE  11. 

That  a  Minister  of  the  Gospel  should  be  a  man  of 
Prudence. 

WITH  a  just  and  fixed  view  of  the  end  of  our  of- 
fice must  ever  be  connected  that  prudence  and  good 
sense  which  is  so  necessary  to  conduct  us  through  it. 
This  is,  I  may  say,  the  first  requisite  in  a  minister  of 
the  gospel.  On  this  foundation  must  all  the  other 
parts  of  the  sacred  character  be  built,  otherwise  the 
superstructure  will  never  stand.  Without  prudence, 
indeed,  few  or  none  of  them  have  any  value.  With- 
out prudence,  learning  and  eloquence  are  so  far  from 
being  useful,  that  they  too  often  do  harm.  Without 
prudence,  zeal  may  degenerate  into  fury,  and  piety 
itself  into  fanaticism  or  mental  delusion.  In  a  word, 
without  the  spirit  of  wisdom  and  a  sound  mind,  a 
minister,  whatever  may  be  his  other  gifts  and  graces, 
will  be  more  likely  to  prejudice  the  cause  of  the  gos- 
pel, than  to  do  it  real  or  essential  service. 

It  is  with  reason,  therefore,  that  we  are  required 
to  be  watchful  and  circumspect  in  all  things,  to  take 
heed  to  ourselves,  and  to  be  wise  as  serpents,  as  well 
as  to  be  innocent  as  doves.t  The  vast  importance  of 
our  office  indispensibly  requires  us  to  be  so.  Yes? 
my  brethren,  when  we  sail  a  stormy  and  tempestu- 
ous sea,  in  a  vessel  which  bears  so  precious  a  cargo 
(if  I  may  so  speak)  as  the  souls  of  immortal  beings-, 
and  when  we  have  taken  upon  us  to  pilot  this  vessel 
to  the  port,  and  to  steer  her  through  the  rocks  and 
shallows  in  which  we  are  in  so  much  danger  ol" 
making  shipwreck ;  heavens !  what  skill  and  pru- 
dence must  be  necessary  for  a  post  of  such  hazard 

t  STifla.  iv.  S,    Luke  xr,  ?, 


8  LECTURE   II. 

and  trust,  in  order  to  make  a  happy  voyage,  and  save 
our  own  souls  and  those  of  others ! 

Take  any  other  view  which  you  please  of  our  of- 
fice, and  you  will  find  that  it  always  calls  for  the 
most  consummate  prudence.  Yes,  my  brethren, 
when  we  fight  with  principalities  and  powers,  for 
the  great  prize  of  immortality,  and  take  upon  us  to 
lead  a  hand  of  souls,  in  this  holy  warfare,  to  warn 
them  of  the  assaults  and  stratagems  of  a  powerful, 
artful,  and  invisible  enemy,  and  of  the  no  less  formi- 
dable danger  to  which  their  own  vicious  inclinations 
and  passions  expose  them  ;  and  when  we,  moreover, 
urge  them  to  the  necessary  discipline  and  duty  of 
their  warfare,  is  not  the  highest  prudence,  even  the 
wisdom  that  is  from  above,  indispensibly  necessary,  to 
make  us  acquit  ourselves  properly  in  so  very  impor- 
tant a  station  ? 

Add  to  this,  that  the  tempers,  humours,  and  cir- 
cumstances of  men,  are  so  various ;  and  the  methods 
to  be  used  for  gamins  them  so  different ;  the  regard 
to  time,  place,  and  character,  so  much  to  be  observ- 
ed;  and  a  nice  discernment  in  all  these  matters  so 
absolutely  necessary,  that  a  minister,  of  all  the  men 
ii>  the  world,  has  most  need  of  perfect  prudence,  in 
order  to  conduct  himself  with  propriet}'  on  every  oc- 
casion, both  in  his  private  and  public  capacity. 

In  his  private  capacity  (if  we  may  use  the  phrase 
in  speaking  of  a  minister),  the  prudence  of  an  angel 
would  hardly  guard  him  from  censure.  If  he  is 
studious,  retired,  and  reserved,  some  will  call  him 
morose,  unsocial,  and  distant ;  if  he  is  cheerful,  fond 
of  society,  and  ready  to  mix  with  the  world,  others 
will  charge  him  with  levity  and  profaneness  ;  if  a 
calm  and  cool  temper  be  a  predominant  feature  in 
his  character,  he  will  be  suspected  of  lukewarmness 
and  indifference ;  and  if  he  be  warm,  earnest,  and 
animated,  he  will,  by  some,  be  called  a  bigot  and  en- 
thusiast.    Some  will  blame  liim  if  his  sanctity  is  not 


LECTURE   U\  9 

more  than  human,  while  others  quarrel  with  him  only 
for  being  over-righteous.  Thus,  the  Jews  censured  alike 
the  austerity  of  the  Baptist,  and  the  familiarity  of  the 
Saviour.*  For  John  came  neither  eating  nor  drink- 
ing, and  they  said,  he  hath  a  devil.  The  son  of  man 
came  eating  and  drinking  ;  that  is,  partaking  of  the 
innocent  enjoyments  of  society,  and  they  said,  Be- 
hold, a  man  gluttonous  and  a  wine  biher,  a  friend  of 
publicans  and  sinners.  So  crooked  and  perverse  a 
generation  (and  the  race  will  never  be  extinct)  are 
iitly  compared  to  fro  ward  children  in  the  market- 
place, who  would  not  be  pleased  with  either  the  mer- 
ry or  mournful  songs  of  their  associates.  A  minis- 
ter, therefore,  in  order  to  give  as  little  ofience  as  pos- 
sible, must  utter  every  word  of  his  conversation  with 
caution,  and  order  every  step  of  his  life  with  circum- 
spection. Wherever  he  goes,  he  must  take  prudence 
hand  in  hand  with  him :  And  prudence,  wherever 
she  is  guide,  if  not  to  man,  at  least  to  God,  will  al- 
ways justify  her  children. 

In  his  public  teaching,  in  like  manner,  it  is  pru- 
dence that  must  direct  a  minister  in  the  choice  of 
proper  subjects,  and  in  treating  those  subjects  in  a 
manner  suited  to  the  exigencies  and  capacity  of  his 
audience.  It  is  prudence  that  must  preserve  him  in 
his  public,  as  well  as  in  his  private  walk,  from  doing 
or  saying  any  thing  that  might  give  cause  of  offence, 
or  that  might  be  construed  into  such ;  that  the  minis- 
try  may  not  be  blamed. 

But  it  is  not  only  in  his  private  life,  and  public 
teaching,  that  a  minister  has  need  of  prudence.  In 
every  part  of  his  intercourse  with  his  people,  he 
stands  equally  in  need  of  it ;  particularly  in  main- 
taining discipline  and  order.  His  office  calls  on  him 
to  watch  over  every  member  of  his  flock,  to  preserve 
or  recover  them  from  sin  and  error,  to  instruct  the 

*  Matth.  xL  18,  19 
C 


.iU  t.ECTURE    II. 

ignorant,  excite  the  negligent,  confirm  the  weak, 
comfort  the  afflicted,  satisfy  the  doubting,  encourage 
(he  desponding,  admonish  and  rebuke  the  disorderly. 
It  calls  on  him  to  accommodate  himself  to  every 
<ase,  and  to  every  capacity;  that,  if  possible,  he  may 
Sirect  and  lead  each  and  all  under  his  care  in  the 
paths  of  everlasting  salvation.  And  what  virtue  is 
there  for  which  he  has  so  much  occasion  in  doing  all 
this,  as  prudence  ?  In  a  word,  it  is  prudence,  or  good 
sense,  that  must  for  ever  direct  him  to  the  best  means 
of  arriving  at  the  great  end  of  his  office,  the  saving  of 
the  souls  committed  to  his  care. 

Hence,  in  those  emblematical  representations  which 
wc  have  of  ministers  in  the  word  of  God,t  we  find 
that  this  makes  always  a  principal  part.  With  the 
lace  of  the  lion,  of  the  eagle,  and  of  the  ox,  in  those 
symbolical  figures,  the  face  of  a  man  is  always  con 
joined.  If  the  face  of  a  lion  denotes  that  we  should 
have  boldness  and  courage  ;  if  that  of  the  ox  denotes 
that  we  should  have  patience  and  fitness  for  labour  ; 
and  if  the  eagle,  which  has  a  piercing  eye,  soars  aloft 
and  is  swift  in  motion,  denotes  that  we  should  be  clear 
sighted  in  the  truths  of  the  gospel,  that  we  should 
have  sublime  sentiments  of  devotion,  and  be  heaven- 
ly-minded, as  well  as  zealous  and  active  in  duty  ;  so 
the  face  of  a  man  denotes,  that  we  should  be  emi- 
nently endowed  with  prudence  and  sagacity.  And 
to  show  still  more  how  necessary  this  virtue  is  in 
every  part  of  our  conduct,  and  in  every  department 
of  our  office,  all  the  figures  which  constitute  the  em- 
blem are  represented  as  being  full  of  eyes  ;  to  teach 
us  that  prudence  must  direct  every  step  of  our  life, 
pervade  every  part  of  our  office,  and  mix  with  every 
other  ingredient  in  our  character.  Indeed,  with  all 
the  other  qualifications  in  the  world,  a  minister  with- 

+Ezek,  i,  10.     llcv.  iv.  7,  8,  &c. 


LECTURE    \\.  11 

oui  prudence  should  have  nothing  to  do  with  the 

holy  office. 

Accordingly,  all  religions,  false  as  well  as  true., 
have  required  their  sacred  office  to  he  filled  with  the 
wisest  and  best  of  human  beings.  "The  first  man," 
says  the  Vedam,  or  sacred  hook  of  the  Bramins,  "  af- 
tw  ter  his  creation,  said  to  God,  ' There  will  be  on 
k*  earth  a  variety  of  occupations,  and  every  man  will 
u  not  be  fit  for  all ;  how  then  are  men  to  be  dislin- 
"  guished?'  God  answered  him  saying,  'They  who 
"  are  endowed  with  the  best  intellects,  and  who  dis- 
%i  cover  the  greatest  prudence  and  propensity  to  virtue 
"  are  always  to  be  Bramins,  or  ministers  of  religion ; 
•;  let  the  rest  be  what  they  will. 

And  justly  might  it  be  so  ordained  ;  for  if  (, ac- 
cording to  the  dread  observation  of  Platot)  the  care 
of  our  flocks  and  herds  is  always  committed  to  be 
ings  of  a  superior  species,  and  not  to  a  sheep,  a  goat, 
or  a  bull,  the  care  of  men  (and  more  especially  of  the 
souls  of  men)  requires,  and  deserves,  not  only  the 
highest  measure  of  prudence  that  falls  to  the  share  of 
mortals,  but  almost  the  wisdom  of  the  gods  or  genii. 
The  man,  therefore,  who  aspires  to  this  exalted  call- 
ing, should  aspire  to  the  perfection  of  celestial  natures, 
purify  his  soul  from  every  thing  gross  and  earthly, 
subdue  his  appetites,  regulate  his  passions,  inform  his 
understanding,  and,  in  ail  his  demeanour,  show  a 
wisdom  and  prudence  almost  more  than  human.  On 
the  solid  basis  of  prudence  must  every  other  minis 
terial  qualification  be  built,  if  we  wish  to  give  beau- 
ty, strength,  and  permanency  to  the  edifice.  Of 
other  natural  talents,  I  shall  only  say,  that  they  are 
not  to  be  dispensed  with  ;  while  I  mention  prudence 
as  the  most  essential.  Indeed,  where  prudence  is,  the 
rest  are  seldom  wanting. t 

f  DeLegib.  I.iy.     Vid.  Julian.  Ep.  ad  Themist. 
X  Nullum  numen  abest,  si  sit  prudentia.     Juv. 


LECTURE  HI. 

Thai  a  Minister  of  the  Gospel  should  be  a  man  of 
Knowledge. 

THE  first  preachers  of  the  gospel  were  divinely  in- 
spired, and  therefore  under  no  necessity  of  acquiring 
knowledge  by  diligent  application  to  study.  But 
ever  since  Christianity  has  been  fully  established,  the 
case  has  been  otherwise  ;  for  God  seldom  or  never 
works  by  miracle  when  ordinary  means  will  serve. 
Now,  therefore,  an  early,  close,  and  persevering  ap- 
plication to  study,  must  stand  instead  of  inspiration, 
and  qualify  men  to  become  servants  of  God  in  the 
holy  ministry. 

Accordingly,  every  well-ordered  church,  aware  of 
the  necessity  of  light  and  knowledge  in  those  who 
are  to  dispense  them  to  others,  has  always  taken  care 
to  regulate  the  studies,  and  to  examine  into  the  learn- 
ing of  her  probationers.  I  take  it  for  granted,  there- 
fore, my  brethren,  that  you  have  gone  through  a 
regular  course  of  all  those  studies  which  the  church 
has  wisely  prescribed  to  her  candidates,  and  that  your 
minds  have  been-  furnished  with  at  least  a  competent 
knowledge  of  ail  the  branches  of  literature.  I  trust 
that,  besides  being  thorough  masters  of  the  language 
in  which  you  are  to  exercise  your  ministry,  you  are 
not  unacquainted  with  the  learned  languages  ;  espe- 
cially those  in  which  the  scriptures  were  originally 
written  ;  and  also  with  the  most  useful  of  the  modern 
tongues.  These  open  the  measures  of  learning,  and 
allow  us  to  gather  what  we  choose  from  every  age 
and  from  every  clime.  I  trust  you  have  studied  the 
politer  parts  of  literature,  and  formed  your  taste  on 
the  best  models  of  fine  writing,  and  according  to  the 


LECTURE    III.  tO 

justcst  rules  of  criticism.  These  will  enable  you  to 
discern  and  to  relish  the  true  beauties  of  writing  ; 
and,  what  is  of  more  consequence,  enable  you  to 
adorn  your  own  discourses,  and  to  give  every  senti- 
ment the  dress  which  best  becomes  it. 

I  presume  you  have  also  learned  the  science  of  rea- 
soning justly,  in  order  to  assist  your  own  faculties 
in  the  search  of  truth,  and  to  enable  you  to  propose 
it  to  others  with  force  and  clearness.  You  have  also 
studied,  I  hope,  the  great  volume  which  nature  opens 
to  your  view,  and  which  is  so  well  calculated  to  in- 
spire us  with  the  most  awful  and  sublime  ideas  of  it's 
author.  It  is  necessary  too,  my  brethren,  that  we 
study  attentively  human  nature,  in  all  it's  powers, 
passions,  and  affections,  for  which  we  should  care- 
fully consult  our  own  breasts,  observe  men  and  man- 
ners, and  get  as  thorough  an  acquaintance  as  we  can 
with  history.  The  history  of  different  nations  and 
of  different  ages,  with  their,  various  characters,  cus- 
toms and  manners,  may  teach  us  many  important 
lessons  for  the  direction  of  our  own  conduct,  and 
furnish  us  with  rich  materials  for  the  direction  and 
improvement  of  others.  The  history  of  the  church 
particularly,  in  all  it's  stages,  and  of  those  nations 
more  immediately  connected  with  it,  will  be  of  the 
utmost  importance  for  understanding  the  scriptures, 
in  which  there  are  so  many  allusions  to  the  customs 
and  manners  of  ancient  times. 

We  must  especially  study  that  science  which 
teaches  the  importance  of  our  moral  principles,  and 
showrs  us  what  is  right  and  what  is  wrong ;  what 
leads  to  the  truest  enjoyment  of  life,  and  secures 
from  if  s  greatest  evils.'  This  will  enable  us  to  strip 
vice  of  ail  it's  gay  and  gaudy  colours,  to  expose  it's  ug- 
ly form  and  dire  effects,  and,  at  the  same  time,  to 
show  the  amiableness  and  advantage  of  virtue.  This 
science,  important  to  all,  is  peculiarly  so  to  us  ;  for 
it  is  the  handmaid  of  divinity. 


14  <  TUttK    III. 

In  sum,  the  know  ledge  of  all  these  branches  of 
education,  with  whatever  else  may  he  necessary  to 
constitute  the  character  of  a  man  of  letters,  we  ought 
to  be  possessed  of  to  a  considerable  extent.  They 
are  the  avenue  which  leads  to  the  sanctuary,  and  no 
person  ought  to  go  in,  or  be  permitted  to  go  in,  by 
any  other  path. 

But  these  acquisitions,  my  brethren,  though  use- 
ful and  necessary,  will  bring  you  only  to  the  outer 
court  of  the  temple.  A  thorough  acquaintance  with 
the  sacred  scriptures  alone  can  entitle  you  to  tread 
the  sacred  ground  within.  It  is  only  by  the  constant 
and  careful  study  of  these,  that  your  minds  can  be 
properly  furnished  for  the  work  of  the  ministry :  that 
you  can  hope  to  be  approved  by  God,  or  serviceable 
to  the  souls  of  men.  On  these  it  becomes  you  there- 
fore to  meditate  and  give  yourselves  up  to  them  it-hol- 
ly, as  the  great  mean  of  making  the  man  of  God 
perfect,  and  thoroughly  furnished  for  his  work. 

Give  attendance  to  reading,  was  the  advice  of  Sf. 
Paul  to  Timothy  ;  and  we  have  need  to  take  it  to 
ourselves.  For  a  steward  who  has  occasion  constant- 
ly to  dispense  his  stock,  must  be  no  less  constantly 
adding  to  his  store.  Without  a  miracle,  which  the  in  • 
dolent  has  no  ground  to  expect,  the  stock  of  know- 
ledge, when  never  replenished,  must  soon  be  exhaust- 
ed. It  is  only  by  diligence  on  our  part,  that  we  may 
hope  to  see  our  endeavours  blessed  by"  God,  and 
crowned  with  any  share  of  success.  It  was  after 
Peter  had  toiled  all  the  night  that  Christ  commanded 
his  blessing,  and  gave  the  miraculous  draught  of  fishes 
in  the  morning. 

We  have  mentioned  the  necessity  of  an  early  ap- 
plication to  study,  if  we  would  attain  to  eminence  or 
usefulness  in  our  calling.  Indeed,  without  a  strong- 
passion  for  study  in  early  life,  there  is  little  to  be  ex- 
pected from  riper  years  ;  for  indolence  in  youth  is 
sure  to  be  succeeded  by  ignorance  and  contempt  in 


LECTURE    HI.  15 

itgc.     But  we  arc  never  to  satisfy  ourselves  with  hav- 
ing studied  in  youth,  or   with  that  degree  of  know 
ledge  which  first  procured  us  admittance  to  the  mi 
nistry.     Neither  the  previous  preparation   of  a  few 
years,  nor  the  occasional  subsequent  fits  of  it,  will 
by  any  means  serve  our  purpose.     The  calls  of  duty, 
and  a  regard  to  character,  require  of  us  to  advance 
in  knowledge  as  well  as  in  holiness,  and  never  to  re 
mit  our  application  to  study.     If  we  have   set  out; 
with  moderate  attainments,  as  is  generally  the  case, 
we  shall,  without  this  continued  application,  become 
soon  despised  and  useless.     And  if  we   have  set  out 
with  a  greater   stock,  we  must;  aim  at  a  greater  de- 
gree of  improvement,  in  order  to  be  of  greater  service 
to  the  church  of  God,  and  to  the  souls  of  men!     We 
must  neither  waste  our  time  in  indolence,  nor  spend, 
too  much  of  it  in  any  pursuit  that  is  foreign  to  our 
calling.     Indolence  would  soon  benumb  the  powers 
of  the  mind,    and  other  pursuits   would   endanger 
it's  immersion  in  worldly  trifles,  both  which  would 
%  be  equally  criminal.     Yet  one   or   other  of  these  is 
too  often  the  fate  of  such  as  are  not  intent  on  their 
proper  business,  and  who  consider  not  the  pursuit  of 
what  is  foreign  to  it  as  their  reproach,  and  not  their 
praise. 

The  study  of  the  scriptures,  especially,  and  of 
whatever  may  be  connected  with  them,  as  church- 
history,  systems  of  divinity,  controversies,  commen- 
taries, and  sermons,  is  our  proper  business,  and  de 
serves  our  first  regard.  It  is  from  these  we  are  to 
derive  evidences  of  our  faith,  which  will  enable  us  to 
answer  those  who  ask  an  account  of  it  ;  to  confute 
the  errors  of  Jews,  Infidels,  and  such  as  depart  from 
the  faith  ;  and,  in  a  word,  to  gainsay  all  it's  adver- 
saries. It  is  true  we  are  not  to  seek  for  occasions  of 
disputing  about  cither  the  evidences  or  doctrines  of 
our  religion  ;  but  as  we  are  liable  to  be  attacked  on 
both,  it  must  be  a  very  unhappy  case  if  we  cannot 


16  LECTURE    III. 

"both  defend  and  conquer.  As  the  light  subdue? 
the  darkness,  so  should  our  superior  knowledge  of 
the  truth  scatter  every  cloud  of  ignorance  and  er- 
ror. 

Yet  the  study  of  no  controversy,  however  needful, 
Should  divert  our  chief  attention  from  what  is  of  still 
higher  moment,  the  thorough  knowledge  of  practical 
religion.  For  this  is  the  foundation  of  being  good 
ourselves,  and  of  doing  good  to  others.  It  is  this 
knowledge  that  will  effectually  teach  us,  that  the 
great  business  of  this  transitory  life  is  to  prepare  for 
another ;  and  this  preparation  consists  in  the  love  of 
God  and  man,  and  in  the  practice  of  holiness  and  vir- 
tue. It  is  this  that  will  teach  us,  that  the  means  of 
attaining  to  those  dispositions  are  a  deep  conviction 
of  their  absolute  and  eternal  necessity,  a  deep  con- 
viction of  our  guilt  and  wickedness,  a  diligent  and 
fervent  application  to  God  (through  faith  in  a  cruci- 
fied Christ)  for  pardon  and  for  grace ;  a  constant  use 
of  the  ordinances  by  which  these  are  to  be  conveyed, 
and  a  watchful  care  over  our  heart  and  life.  This, 
this  alone  is  that  saving  knowledge  on  which  de- 
pend our  own  souls  and  those  under  our  ministry  ; 
and  we  ought  never  to  slacken  our  diligence  in  pur 
suit  of  it,  but  to  consider  every  moment  as  lost, 
which  is  not  devoted,  either  directly  or  indirectly,  to 
the  improvement  of  our  own  souls,  or  to  the  advan- 
tage of  our  people. 

But  is  it  necessary,  my  brethren,  to  urge  a  minis- 
ter of  the  gospel  to  the  pursuit  of  this  knowledge  ;  to 
study  the  scriptures  in  which  this  knowledge  is  to  be 
had,  and  to  make  himself  thoroughly  acquainted 
with  the  wrord  of  God  ?  Cannot  a  sense  of  our' duty 
attract  us  ?  Cannot  the  pleasure  of  such  a  study  al- 
lure us  ?  Even  the  idolatrous  priests  of  the  heathen 
nations,  whose  religion  was  only  a  chaos  of  fables,  de- 
voted themselves  entirely  to  the  study  of  these ;  lin- 
ing retired  in  their  temples,  and  secluded  from  the 


LECTURE    III.  IT 

world*    Religion  was   their  business,  and  therefore 
religion  was  their  study  ; — religion   was   their  plea- 
sure.    And  shall  we,  my  brethren,  who  are  set  apart 
for  the  study  and  service  of  a  religion  as  far  above 
theirs  as  heaven  is  above   earth,  shall  we  who  are 
initiated  into  the  mysteries  of  that  glorious  and  com- 
fortable   religion,     which   our   gracious    Redeemer 
brought  down  from  the  bosom  of  the  God  of  love  ; 
shall  we,  I  say,  find  no  delight  in  learning  and  study- 
ing  the  sublime  and  important  truths  which  it  con- 
tains ?     Where  was  there  ever  so  full  and  just  an 
account  of  human  nature,  and  of  our  truest  interest? 
in  this  and  in  another  world  ?    Where  was  there 
ever  so  clear  an  evidence  of  the  certainty,  or  so  lively 
and  rational  a  description  of  the  nature  of  a  life  to 
come  ?    Where  can  we  meet  with  any  truths  of  so 
wonderful  a  nature  and   vast  moment,  as  the  incar- 
nation, passion,  resurrection,  and  ascension  of  our 
Lord ;  the  effusion  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  it's  miracu- 
lous and  sanctifying  operations  ?     Here  we  read  df 
the  nature  and  office  of  angels,  the  apostacy,  misery, 
and  stratagems  of  devils,  the    fall  and  recovery  of 
man,  the  various  revolutions  of   religion,   and  the 
different  and  final  fate  of  mankind.     Here  we  have 
the  most  perfect  system  of  morals,  with  the  most 
powerful  arguments   and  aids  to  engage  us  to  the 
practice  of  them  ;  and  all  this  exemplified  to  us  in 
the  perfect  model  of  the  life  of  the  holy  Jesus.    And 
shall  not  all  these  wonderful  matters,  into  which  even 
angels  desire  to  look,  engage  our  hearts,  occupy  our 
time,  and  challenge  our  attention  ?     Are  we  permit- 
ted to  drink  of  that  pure  river  of  the  water  of  life, 
clear  as  crystal,  which  proceeds  out  of  the  throne  of 
God  and  of  the  Lamb,  and  shall  our  souls  have  no 
relish  for  such  heavenly  entertainment  ?     Shall  we 
not  ardently  desire  to  satiate  our  minds  with  those 
delicious  draughts  of  which  even  angels  wish  to  par- 
take ?     Is  it  possible  that  any  of  us  can  be  so  de- 


IB  lfxture  rrr. 

praved  as  to  grudge  the  time  which  we  must  ne- 
cessarily devote  to  the  study  of  the  word  of  God  ?  Or 
is  it  possible  that  we  can  satisfy  ourselves  with  a  su- 
perficial knowledge  of  those  doctrines,  which  it  is  our 
business  to  explain  ?  How  then  can  we  instruct  the 
souls  committed  to  our  care  ?  How  can  the  peo- 
ple be  acquainted  with  those  truths  to  which  their 
teachers  themselves  are  so  much  disposed  to  be  stran- 
gers ? 

Let  us,  my  brethren,  look  around  us  when  we 
stand  up  in  our  churches,  and  for  a  moment  reflect 
on  our  important  situation.  We  are  about  to  speak 
on  matters  of  vast  and  eternal  consequence,  to  a 
congregation  of  rational,  accountable,  and  immortal 
creatures.  The  salvation  or  damnation  of  their  souls 
as  well  as  of  our  own,  depends,  in  some  measure,  on 
the  manner  in  which  we  are  to  act  our  part.  Is  it 
possible  to  conceive  any  situation  more  awful  and  in- 
teresting ?  One  should  think  that  the  most  incon- 
siderate would  be  so  impressed  with  the  thoughts  of 
it,  as  to  make  every  possible  preparation  before  he 
would  enter  into  that  place  ;  and  acquit  himself 
with  all  possible  earnestness  when  actually  engaged. 
He  who  speaks  (as  he  who  painted)  for  eternity,* 
ought  to  be  at  all  possible  pains  to  do  it  well. 

Demosthenes  would  have  that  person  branded  as 
the  pest  of  society,  and  the  enemy  of  the  common- 
wealth, who  durst  propose  any  thing  in  public  which 
he  had  not  first  considered  well,  and  pondered  in  pri- 
vate. But  how  much  more  presumptuous  is  it  for  a 
man,  in  the  great  business  of  salvation,  to  appear  be- 
fore the  church,  before  angels,  and  before  God  him- 
self, and  to  speak  of  the  dread  mysteries  of  redemp- 
tion, without  having  secured  before-hand  every  ad 
wantage  which  knowledge,  study,  and  preparation 

*  "  I  paint  for  eternity/'  said  Apelles,  when  asked  why  he 
took  such  pains  upon  his  pictures. 


LFXTURE    Hi.  19 

could  have  possibly  given  them.t  Not  being  master 
of  his  subject,  is  be  not  afraid  of  treating  it  in  a  loose 
and  careless  manner,  so  as  to  do  justice  neither  to  the- 
Subject,  nor  to  souls,  but  rather  nauseate  the  audience, 
damp  their  devotions,  and  vilify  the  holy  ordinance 
of  preaching  ? 

Think,  O  my  soul,  on  the  situation  of  that  multi- 
tude of  immortal  beings,  all  come  to  hear  from  thee 
(some  of  them  perhaps  for  the  last   time)  how  they 
may  be  saved.     Think  of  the  high  trust  which  God 
hath  put  in  thy  hands  ;  but  which  he  may  not  pos 
t?ibly  allow  thee  to  exercise  beyond  this  one  precious 
opportunity.      Are,  therefore,   the  doctrines  which 
thou  art  about  to  deliver,  suited  to  the  exigencies  of 
souls  verging  towards  eternity  ?     Are  they  suited  to 
the  capacities  and  circumstances  of  those  who  are  to 
hear  them  ?     Have  they  a  strong  tendency  to  make 
them  wiser  and  better,  to  enlighten   and  to  reform, 
to  sanctify  and  to  save  them  ?     And  can  your  con- 
science say  that  this  tendency   is  so  strong  as  thou 
couldst  have  possibly  made  it,  if  thy  diligence  had 
been  greater  ?    Have  no  pains  been  spared  to  make 
thyself  master  of  thy  subject,  and  to  make  it  appear 
striking  and  important  to  thy  hearers  ?     Is  thy  own 
heart  impressed  with  such  a  sense  of  thy  doctrines, 
as  to  make  thy  concern  visible   to  others,  and  so  in- 
terest their  hearts  also  in  thy  cause  ?     If  these  ques- 
tions cannot  be  answered  in  the  affirmative,  the  con- 
science of  the  preacher  must  reproach  him,  the  souls 
of  his  hearers  must  accuse  him,  and  a  righteous  God 
on  that  day  on  which   he  will  call  him  to  give  an 


t  Cogitet  ille  quantse  molis  est  in  illaprsedicare  socictate, 
in  cujus  medio  Dominus  ille  est,  cui  sol  et  luna  famulantur, 
cui  adsunt  ministri  ejus  millia  millium  et  decies  centena  mil- 
lia  !  Quantse  molis  est  regnum  C^risti  erigere,  et  Satan?c, 
palatia  demoliri.  Nic.  Htming,  de  Pastore 


20  LECTURE   III. 

account  of  his  stewardship,  will  assuredly  condemn 

him.t 

And  just  is  the  condemnation  of  that  servant  who 
proves  unfaithful  in  such  an  office.  For  we,  my 
brethren,  like  our  master,  are  set  for  the  rise  or 
fall  of  many  in  Israel  ;  so  that  none  of  us,  if  indo- 
lent or  evil,  can  perish  singly.  Our  guilt  must  be  a- 
bove  measure  aggravated,  as,  in  our  ruin,  that  of 
thousands  is  involved.  We  are  the  light  of  theworld, 
and  if  the  beams  which  we  shed  be  dim,  how  can  the 
poor  wanderer  find  his  way  ?  If,  as  is  sometimes  the 
case,  he  may  not  read,  or  if  he  cannot  understand,  in 
the  devious  paths  of  error,  the  unhappy  wretch  must 
perish ;  for  there  is  no  ray  to  direct  his  fainting  eyes, 
there  is  no  light  in  the  lamp  that  should  guide  him. 
We  are  the  eyes  of  the  church,  and  if  the  eye  be 
darkness,  the  whole  body  must  be  so  too.  We  are  the 
teachers  of  others,  and  should  therefore  be  taught 
ourselves.  Without  this,  the  blind  lead  the  blind, 
and  both  must  fall  into  the  pit. 

It  is  true,  all  cannot  have  great  talents,  extraordi- 
nary gifts,  and  an  uncommon  genius.  But  all  ought 
to  know  Jesus  Christ,  and  to  be  intimately  acquaint- 
ed with  his  law  and  with  his  gospel.  To  attain  to  this 
and  whatever  else  may  be  more  immediately  con- 
nected with  our  office,  no  study,  no  pains,  no  appli- 
cation should  be  spared  ;  nor  should  any  moment  be 
lost  in  supine  sloth,  unnecessary  sleep,  or  vain  recrea- 
tions. If  the  merchant  shall  compass  sea  and  land  in 
pursuit  of  riches,  and  the  philosopher  in  pursuit  of 
science ;  if  the  husbandman  shall  toil  all  day,  and  the 
mechanic  apply  to  his  work  from  morning  to  night, 
that  by  the  fruit  of  their  labour  they  may  live,  shall 
not  we  be  equally  diligent  to  find  the  pearl  of  great 
price,  and  to  attain  to  the  knowledge  of  him,  whom 
to  know  is  life  eternal  f     Shall  we  not  be  ashamed 

f  See  Dr.  Leechman's  Syn.  Ser/n. 


LECTURE   III.  21 

that  the  men  of  the  world  should  be  late  and  early, 
and  all  the  day  long,  at  their  respective  callings,  if  we 
are  not  equally  intent  on  some  part  or  other  of  ours  ? 
Devoted  and  set  apart,  as  we  solemnly  are,  to  the 
sacred  work  of  the  ministry,  shall  we  not,  with  all 
our  heart  and  soul,  attend  to  it  as  our  only  care  ; 
since  we  cannot  otherwise  expect  to  save  our  own 
souls  or  those  of  others?  Shall  we  not  seek  for 
knowledge  as  for  hidden  treasure,  and  be  equally 
careful  to  dispense  it  ?  If  not,  how  inexcusable  must 
we  appear  at  the  great  day  of  the  Lord  ?  for  this 
knowledge  is  not  hidden  from  us,  neither  is  it  far  off. 
It  is  not  in  heaven,  that  we  should  say,  who  shall  go 
4ip  for  us  to  heaven,  and  bring  it  unto  us,  that  we  may 
hear  and  do  it  ?  Neither  is  it  beyond  the  sea,  that 
we  should  say,  who  shall  go  over  the  sea  for  us,  and 
bring  it  unto  us,  that  we  may  hear  and  do  it  ?  But 
it  is  very  nigh  unto  us,  it  is  in  our  hands,  and  should 
be  in  our  mouths,  and  in  our  heart. — To  make  any 
proficiency  in  this  knowledge,  however,  it  is  neces- 
sary that  our  study  shall  be  accompanied  with  piety, 
and  with  prayer.  J 

$  Baron  Bielfeld  (Elements  of  Universal  Erudition,  Vol. 
I,)  has  given  the  following  analysis  of  the  knowledge  requi- 
site for  a  minister,  in  regard  to  preparation,  theory,  and 
practice. 

I.  Preparation. 
1.  Languages. — His  native  tongue,  in  which  he  is  to  exercise 
his  ministry,  and  in  which  he  ought  to  be  most  perfect. 
The  Latin  language,  which  is  the  language  of  the  learned 

world  in  general. 
The  Greek  language,  in  order  to  understand  the  New  Tes* 

tament. 
The  Hebrew  language,  with  the  Talmudic  and  Rabbinical 

idioms. 
The  Arabic  language. 
The  Syriac  language 


22  LECTURE   III. 

The  French,  for  th.e  excellent  books  written  in  it,  a*  wejl 
as  in  English. 

2.  Natural  philosophy. 
Logic. 

Metaphysics. 
Moral  philosophy. 

3.  Rhetoric  and  eloquence,  or  the  art  of  speaking  and  writing 

with  correctness,  elegance,  and  persuasion. 

4.  Universal  history,  with  chronology  and  geography. 
6.  The  study  of  the  Jewish  antiquities. 

II.  Theory. 

1.  Systematic  theology. 

2.  Exegetic,  hermeneutic,  and  critical  theology,  or  the  art 

of  understanding  and  explaining  any  passage  or  part  of 
scripture,  or  whatever  may  relate  to  it. 

3.  Polemic  theology. 

4.  Natural  theology. 

5.  Moral  theology. 

0 .  History  of  the  church,  under  the  Old  and  New  Testaments 

III.  Practice. 

1.  Pastoral  theology,  viz  :  homiletic,  catechetic,  and  casuis- 

tic. 

2.  Consistorial  theology,  or  the  knowledge  of  the  canon  law, 

forms  of  church  courts,  &c.    Ecclesiastical  government 
and  jurisprudence,  civil  laws  respecting  the  church,  &c, 

3.  The  prudential  exercise  of  the  ministerial  functions. 


LECTURE  IV, 

That  a  Minister  of  the  Gospel  should  be  a  man  of 

Piety. 

PIETY,  which  consists  in  the  habitual  exercise  of 
the  devout  affections  towards  God,  is  the  same  to  the 
soul  that  the  breath  is  to  the  body.  It  is,  if  not  it's 
life,  at  least  the  symptom  or  sign  of  it.  It  is  the 
foundation  of  that  mysterious  union,  or  communion, 
which  it  enjoys  with  the  father  of  spirits,  and  which 
is  altogether  essential  to  the  happiness  of  man,  and 
to  the  character  of  a  minister. 

A  minister  without  piety  is  a  monster  in  the  church 
of  God.  His  ugliness  deters  those  who  would  ap- 
proach the  holy  place  so  much,  that  all  the  exhor- 
tations which  he  gives  them  to  enter  thither  are  to  no 
purpose.  He  resembles  those  horrid  shapes  which 
the  poets  feign  to  have  stood  at  the  entrance  of  Ely- 
sium. It  required  uncommon  resolution  in  any  per- 
son to  pass  by  them,  and  force  his  way  into  the  abodes 
of  the  blessed. 

Should  a  minister  have  even  the  appearance  of  pie- 
ty, and  the  form  of  Godliness,  without  which  he 
would  be  altogether  shocking,  yet  if  he  has  not  also 
it's  power,  he  will  in  vain  attempt  to  make  others 
what  he  himself  is  not.  From  shame  and  the  indis- 
pensable calls  of  duty,  indeed,  he  must  do  something ; 
but  it  will  be  as  seldom  and  as  superficially  as  may 
*be.  Or,  say  he  should  put  on  the  appearance  of 
earnestness,  yet  will  he  be  considered  as  only  acting 
a  part,  which  will  appear  equally  unnatural  and  dis- 
gustful. His  own  heart  will  be  apt  to  misgive  him  ; 
his  hearers,  who  know  his  real  character,  will  despise 
him  ;  and  God,  who  knows  more  than  his  own 
heart  or  his  hearers,  will  detest  and  condemn  him. 


24  LECTURE   III. 

Iti  the  sight  of  God  and  man,  hypocrisy  is  as  odioua 
as  profaneness. 

Yes,  my  brethren,  the  foundation  of  every  thing 
amiable  in  our  character  is  true  and  unaffected  piety. 
And  this  we  should  constantly  cultivate  by  daily  me  ^ 
ditation,  fervent  prayer,  diligence  in  working  out  our 
own  salvation,  and  ardent  zeal  for  the  everlasting 
welfare  of  our  people.  This  only  will  give  weight  to 
the  truths  which  we  utter  ;  truths  which  will  almost 
always  affect  our  hearers,  in  proportion  to  the  opinion 
which  they  entertain  of  our  piety. 

Let  us  then  lay  it  down  as  a  first  principle,  that,  in 
order  to  teach  successfully  to  others  the  power  and 
life  of  godliness,  we  must  feel  it's  vital  influence  up- 
on our  own  souls.      For,  inspire  them  with  a  taste 
for  heavenly  things  we  cannot,  if  we  have  not  a  re- 
lish for  those  things   ourselves.     I  will  not  say  but 
God  may  sometimes,  by  way  of  miracle,  bring  a  man 
to  life  by  the  bones  of  a  dead  prophet,  and  may  some- 
times honour  his  own  word  so  far  as  to  make  it  ef- 
fectual for  salvation,  even  when  it  falls  from  theun* 
hallowed  lips  of  a  wicked   minister.     I  know  that 
when  Noah  arose  from  his  wine  and  prophecied,  the 
event  corresponded  with  his  prediction  ;   and  that  the 
prescription  of  Elisha,  though  conveyed  by  Gehazi, 
cured  the  Syrian  general.     This,  however,  is  not  the 
ordinary  way  of  God ;  it  is  rather  his  strange  work  ; 
for  it  is  extremely  seldom  that  the  labours  of  an  un- 
godly minister  are  owned  by  him,  or  attended  with 
any  success.     On  the  contrary,  they  bring  discredit 
upon  religion,  and  throw  snares  in  the  way  of  the 
souls  of  men.      The  deepest  wounds  which  religion 
receives,  are  those  which  are  given  her  in  the  house 
of  her  friends. — If  Hophni  and   Phineas  be  priests, 
the  sacrifice  of  the  Lord  will  soon  be  abhorred^  and 
his  temples  will  soon  be  deserted. 


LECTURE   JV.  25' 

Such  is  the  baneful  influence  which  the  impiety  of 
ministers  has  upon  all  around  them.  And  if  we  con 
sider  the  consequence  with  respect  to  those  unhappy 
beings  themselves,  we  are  presented  with  a  still  more 
melancholy  prospect.  After  having  preached  the 
gospel  to  others,  they  themselves  must  be  cast  away. 
To  plead  their  having  preached,  and  prophesied,  and 
cast  out  devils  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  will  be  of  no 
avail,  while  they  want  piety.  In  vain  do  they 
hope  that  God  will  dispense  with  the  homage  of  the 
heart,  and  with  the  holiness  of  life  which  he  requires 
in  his  servants,  and  either  remit  or  mitigate  their  pun- 
ishment, on  account  of  their  having  preached  to 
others  a  gospel  to  which  they  would  not  conform 
themselves.  If  the  deceitfulness  of  the  human  heart 
could  indeed  flatter  itself  with  the  hope  of  any  miti- 
gation of  punishment  amid  such  aggravated  guilt, 
one  should  think  it  would  be  only  such  as  that  of  the 
wretch  mentioned  in  one  of  the  fables  of  Zoroaster, 
who  was  wholly  immersed  in  the  fiery  lake,  except 
one  of  his  heels,  which  had  the  privilege  of  rising 
above  the  surface,  on  account  of  his  having  once 
turned  upon  it  to  relieve  a  lamb  entangled  in  a  thick 
et. — To  the  minister,  whose  lips  only  did  their  duty, 
who  was  a  good  preacher,  but  not  a  pious  man,  the 
application  of  the  apologue  is  easy. — But  apologues 
apart,  without  holiness  no  man  shall  see  the  Lord. 

I  therefore  repeat  it,  my  brethren,  we  should  no? 
only  have  piety,  but  a  very  high  degree  of  it.  It  is 
by  no  means  enough  that  we  should  have  as  much, 
of  it  as  ordinary  christians.  God  and  men,  with 
good  reason,  require  more  from  us  than  from  the 
rest  of  the  world.  Our  time  and  talents  are  conse- 
crated to  religion,  insomuch,  that  to  apply  them  to 
any  other  purpose,  not  somehow  subservient  to  this 
end,  is  sacrilege.  We  are,  or  at  least  ought  to  be> 
more  disengaged  from  the  business,  caves,  and  in- 
cumbrances of  this  world,  than  other  mm  are.     We 

E 


16'  LECTURE   n\ 

are  neither  labourers  nor  tradesmen,  we  are  neither 
merchants  nor  soldiers.  We  should  therefore  consi 
der  ourselves  as  holding  an  office  somewhat  akin  to 
that  of  the  holy  angels,  who  are  sent  into  the  world 
as  ministering  spirits,  for  the  general  good  of  man- 
kind. And  having  nothing  else  to  mind  but  this  sole? 
this  glorious  work,  we  should  pursue  it  with  the  full 
bent  and  purpose  of  our  soul,  giving  special  heed 
that  while  we  assist  others  to  become  heirs  of  salva- 
tion, we  may  be  all  heavenly  and  holy  ourselves. 
For  this  end  we  cannot  possibly  use  too  much  dili- 
gence, we  cannot  possibly  aim  too  high :  for  that 
degree  of  piety  which  will  qualify  others  for  heaven 
will  by  no  means  serve  for  us, 

Coivin,  now  with  God  and  his  angels,*  had  a  vi- 
sion to  this  purpose,  on  the  day  of  his  consecration 
to  the  ministry.  Awful  thoughts  filled  his  soul.  A 
heavenly  light  shone  in  his  cell.  He  turned  his  eve 
to  the  heavens,  and,  lo,  they  were  illumined;  he 
looked  to  the  earth,  and,  lo,  it  was  on  fire.  The 
judgment-throne  was  set,  and  the  inhabitants  of  hea-r 
veil  and  earth  assembled,  Michael  stood  forth  be- 
fore the  Judge,  and  held  in  his  hand  that  mighty 
balance,  in  which  souls  and  their  actions  are  weigh- 
rd.t  When  ordinary  mortals  were  put  in  the  scales, 
the  standard  by  which  they  were  tried  was  less  and 
lighter;  nor  did  they  seem  to  be  too  scrupulously 
weighed,  if  the  beam  stood  only  »ear  a  poise.  Nay, 
the  breath  of  mercy  made  it  sometimes  incline  in 
their  favour,  when  all  the  pleas  that  made  for  them 
could  not  decidedly  cast  it.  But  when  ministers 
tame  to  be  weighed,  the  standard  was  ten  times  aug- 

*  "  O  Coivin,  now  with  archangels  !"     So  begins  an  ad- 
dress to  him  by  St.  Ciaran. 

t  See  Pref.  to  White's  Sermons.     This  image  is  sculptur 
♦d  ia  the  Cathedral  oflona, 


LECTURE   IV.  27 

merited,  for  those  of  whom  least  was  required  ;  and, 
in  general,  that  by  which  they  were  tried  was  tin- 
weight  of  the  angel  It  hid,  prince  of  the  seventh  or 
lowest  order  of  the  hierarchy  of  heaven.  For  God 
had  ordained,  that  in  the  progressive  scale  there 
should  be  no  blank,  and  that  the  highest  order  of 
men  should  reach  the  lowest  order  of  superior  beings 
Coivin  reflected  on  the  dread  office  to  which  he  was 
set  apart  ;  he  perceived  the  awful  sanctity  and  care 
which  it  required.  His  heart  swelled  ;  the  tears  burst 
from  his  eyes  ;  he  wiped  them  with  his  hand,  and 
the  vision  vanished.  The  impression,  however,  re- 
mained, and  Coivin  lived  on  earth,  innocent  and  ac- 
tive, as  an  angel  of  heaven. 

Thus,  my  brethren,  our  salvation  is  much  more 
difficult  than  that  of  any  person  under  our  charge  ; 
for  to  whomsoever  much  is  given,  of  them  the  more 
will  be  required.  Our  daily  duty  calls  on  us  to  con- 
verse more  with  the  scriptures,  and  to  meditate  more 
on  the  maxims  of  piety.  The  precepts  which  re- 
quire,  and  the  promises  which  encourage  godliness, 
are  better  known  by  us  than  by  others.  Our  temp- 
tations to  irreligion  are  much  fewer  than  those  of 
other  men,  who  are  immersed  in  the  affairs  of  the 
world,  and  exposed  more  frequently  to  the  danger  of 
falling  into  the  company  of  sinners.  Our  particular 
calling  as  ministers,  and  our  general  calling  as  chris- 
tians, lead  us  to  pursue  one  and  the  same  road  ;  which 
is  not  often  the  case  with  other  men.  In  a  word, 
while  one  part  of  mankind  is  hurried  about  by  the 
giddy  whirlpool  of  fashion  and  pleasure,  and  the 
other  toiling  and  slaving  for  the  supply  of  real  or  ima- 
ginary wants ;  we,  seated  high  on  a  place  of  safety, 
where,  free  from  those  temptations,  we  enjoy  peace 
and  competence,  may  attend  to  the  great  concerns  of 
our  calling,  without  any  distraction  or  anxious  care. 
Possessed,  therefore,  of  these  superior  advantages,  as 
well  as  of  precious  and  peculiar  promises,  we  ought 


28  LECTURE    IV. 

to  feel  more  of  the  power  of  godliness,  and  to  excel 
all  the  world  in  piety.     Thus  only  shall  we  secure 
happiness  to  ourselves,  and  successfully  recommend 
t  to  others. 

How  then  are  those  pious  dispositions,  the  source 
of  so  much  happiness,  to  be  cherished  or  acquired? 
1  answer, — He  that  would  be  pious,  must  have  a  due 
regard  to  every  ordinance  of  religion.  He  must  be 
much  in  prayer  ;  stated,  occasional,  and  above  all, 
ejaculatory  and  mental.  He  must  be  much  in  retire- 
ment and  meditation,  communing  with  his  own  heart 
and  with  his  God.  He  must  converse  daily  with  the 
sacred  scriptures,  and  with  books  of  piety  ;  and,  as 
often  as  he  can,  with  pious  men.  Above  all,  he  must 
aim  at  being  holy,  exemplary,  and  useful  in  his  life  ; 
and,  as  acting  under  the  eye  of  God,  make  conscience 
of  discharging  every  part  of  his  duty.  These  are  the 
acts  by  which  pious  habits  are,  through  the  grace  of 
God,  acquired  ;  and  the  more  any  one  abounds  in 
them,  the  sooner  will  he  arrive  at  perfection,  both  of 
holiness  and  happiness,  for  they  are  one  and  the  same. 

It  therefore  becomes  us,  my  brethren,  who  are  to 
teach  these  things  to  others,  to  examine  often  what 
progress  we  ourselves  make  in  the  study  of  piety,  or 
whether  we  have  as  yet  attained  to  any  high  degree 
of  holiness.  For  if  piety  has  not  taken  entire  posses- 
sion of  our  own  souls,  we  are  by  no  means  qualified 
to  recommend  it  strongly  to  our  people.  Are,  then, 
our  meditations  of  God  frequent  and  sweet,  and  the 
aspirations  of  our  souls,  like  incense,  perpetually 
mounting  before  him  ?  Is  it  our  chic  lest  joy  to  think 
on  his  name  and  on  his  attributes,  on  his  works  and 
on  his  word  ?  Do  we  resign  our  souls  entirely  to  his 
pleasure,  acquiesce  in  his  will,  obey  his  precepts,  and 
trust  in  his  promises  ?  Is  his  favour  our  life,  his  pro- 
vidence our  protection,  his  spirit  our  guide,  his  word 
our  counsellor,  and  his  kingdom  the  inheritance  for 
which  we  are  earnestly  looking,,  and  daily  preparing  ? 


LECTURE    IV.  29 

Amidst  all  the  changes  of  a  transient  life,  can  we  say 
to  the  sea  of  passions,  fears,  and  cares  within,  Be  still ; 
and  can  we  lean  on  God  as  on  a  rock,  immovable 
and  calm  amid  the  surrounding  storm  ?  Nay,  can  we 
not  only  rest  on  him  when  we  contemplate  the  great- 
ness of  his  power,  but  rejoice  and  triumph  in  him 
when  we  view  the  glory  of  his  grace,  as  manifested 
in  Christ  Jesus  ?  Do  we  realize  to  ourselves  his  pre- 
sence, pant  after  higher  and  more  frequent  commu- 
nion with  him  in  this  world,  and  ardently  and  affec- 
tionately long  to  see  him,  and  to  be  forever  with  him 
in  the  other  ? 

O  God,  my  light  and  my  life,  my  sun  and  my 
shield  !  I  feel  a  joy  surpassing  the  power  of  language 
to  describe,  when  I  consider  myself  as  thy  subject, 
thy  servant,  and  thy  son.  I  roll  over  myself,  my 
soul,  my  all,  on  thy  hands  and  on  thy  care.  Bid  me 
do  or  suffer  what  thou  pleasest ;  do  with  me  what 
seemeth  to  thee  good,  I  confide  in  thy  favour,  rest  in 
thy  love,  trust  in  thy  promises,  and  devote  myself  to 
thy  service.  Let  others  choose  their  portion  in  this 
world  ;  thou  art  my  God,  and  I  will  bless  and  serve 
thee  while  I  live,  and  look  for  thy  salvation  when  I 
die,  through  Jesus  Christ,  my  Saviour  and  my  Re 
deemer. 

Yes,  my  brethren,  if  pious  dispositions  are  abun- 
dant and  strong  in  our  own  souls,  we  shall  naturally 
recommend  them  with  fervour  and  force  to  others, 
and  speak  with  boldness,  as  well  as  ease,  when  the 
truths  which  we  utter  are  not  conned  words,  but  the 
genuine  feelings  of  our  hearts.  Then,  indeed,  shall 
we  possess  true  and  persuasive  eloquence,  and  bid 

fair  to  lead  our  people  along  with  us  to  glory. 

Therefore,  my  brethren,  whatever  other  men  may 
do,  let  us  be  patterns  of  piety,  and  examples  of  holi- 
ness, to  the  flock  over  which  the  Holy  Ghost  hath  made 
us  overseers. — But   of  a  minister's  good  example. 


SO  LECTURE  IV. 

without  which  piety  cannot  subsist,  I  shall  have  oc 
casion  to  speak  hereafter.     In  the  mean  time,  let  it  be 
remembered,  that  he  must  be  a  man  of  knowledge 
and  of  study,  a  man  of  piety,  and — of  prayer. 


LECTURE  V. 

Tliai  a  Minister  of  the  Gospel  should  be  a  Man  of 
Prayer. 

"  BEGIN  all  thine  actions  with  prayer,1'  said  Py- 
thagoras, "  that  thou  mayest  be  able  to  accomplish 
-  them."  Alas,  my  brethren,  what  can  we,  frail  crea- 
Hires!  do  in  our  arduous  work,  if  the  Spirit,  which 
is  to  be  obtained  by  prayer,  eld  not  help  us?  We  can 
neither  attain  to  tne  right  knowledge  of  the  truth  as 
it  is  in  Jesus,  nor  can  we  recommend  the  gospel  with 
success  to  others.  It  is  only  the  same  Spirit  which 
dictated  the  oracles  of  God  at  first,  that  can  make  us 
understand  them  clearly.  To  him,  therefore,  should 
we  apply  for  light  and  direction,  by  pouring  forth 
our  souls  before  him  in  frequent  and  fervent  prayer. 

O  Spirit  of  light  and  of  love  !  shed  thy  sacred 
beams  on  this  benighted  soul,  that  it  may  clearly  un- 
derstand thy  holy  oracles !  Say,  Let  there  be  light  ; 
and  there  shall  be  light.  Rise,  Sun  of  righteousness  I 
rise  with  healing  under  thy  wings,  that  I  may  clearly 
see  the  path  of  salvation,  and  be  able  with  certainty 
and  precision  to  point  it  out  to  others.  Thou  hast 
ordained  thy  word  to  be  a  light  to  my  feet,  and  a 
lamp  to  my  paths  ;  but  if  my  eyes  be  not  opened, 
how  can  I  behold  this  beam,  however  bright  it  shin 
eth  ?  The  blind  must  lose  his  way  in  the  midst  of 
light,  and  grope  at  noon-day.  O  speak  then  the 
word  Ephphatha.  Bid  these  eyes  be  opened,  and  the 
day-spring  from  on  high  to  visit  me  !  Then  shall  I 
behold  the  wondrous  things  of  thy  law,  and  be  as  a 
star  in  thy  right  hand  to  guide  my  people  ! 

Prayer  is  the  mounting  up  of  the  soul  to  God  in 
the  act  o  f  worship.  It  is  that  by  which  we,  as  it  were, 
eider  heaven,  join  the  worshipping  hosts  assembled 


32  LECTURE   IV*. 

there,  cultivate  acquaintance,  and  hold  intercourse  and 
communion  with  the  Father  of  our  souls,  and  draw 
down  his  choicest  blessings.     Prayer  is  the  properest 
exercise  in  which  a  dependant,  ignorant,  weak  and 
guilty  creature,  can  be  engaged ;  as  it  puts  him  in  a 
condition  to  see  what  he  is,  and  to  receive  what  he 
needs.     Prayer  is  not  only  the  way  to  the  fulfilment 
of  promise,  but  is  in  itself  the  properest  mean  of  pro 
ducing  and  promoting  in  us  all  those  noble  and  ami- 
able dispositions  of  mind,  which  can  make  us  happy 
and  useful  in  this  world,  and  meet  for  another.     It 
raises  the  soul  above  every  mean  and  sordid  pursuit, 
weans  it  from  earth,  and  gives  it  that  taste  and  relish 
for  holiness,  which  is  requisite  even  for  the  enjoy- 
ment of  heaven.     It  is  the  nourisher  of  piety,  and  the 
preparative  and  earnest  of  glory.     For,  as  the  mind 
will  always  derive  a  tincture  and  colouring  from  the 
cast  of  that  company  which  a  man  frequents,  so  will 
the  soul  that  is  much  in  company  with  God,  become 
in  some  measure  like  him.     It  will  naturally  copy 
those  perfections  which  it  admires  and  adores  ;  and, 
according  to  the  eternal  laws  of  heaven,  when  it  be- 
holds, as  in  a  glass,  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  will  be 
changed  into  the  same  image,  from  glory  to  glory. 

Thus  necessary  and  useful  is  prayer  to  every  chris- 
tian ;  but  more  especially  to  every  minister.  Prayer 
is  the  life  and  soul  of  the  sacred  function.*'  Without 
it,  we  can  expect  no  success  in  our  ministry.  With- 
out it,  our  best  instructions  are  barren,  and  our  most 
painful  labours  idle.     Before  we  can  strike  terror  in- 

*  Incredibile  dictu  quantum  lucis,  quantum  vigoris,  quan- 
tum roboris  atqucalacritatis  hinc  accidat  Ecclesiasta^immo 
cunctis  hominibus  ad  quodvis  unquam  negotium  arduum  su$- 
cipiendurn  et  peragendum.    Erasm. — Bene  orasse  est   bene 

studuisse.    Luth Tria  faciunt  theologum,  oratio,  tentatio,. 

meditatio.  Id "  Oraeilabora  ;  nil  amplius  docuit  Oran#" 


LECTURE   \\  £3 

io  those  who  break  the  law,  we  must  first,  like  Mo- 
;es,  spend  much  time  with  God  in  retirement.  Prayer 
ottcn  gains  success  to  little  talents,  while  the  greatest, 
without  it,  are  useless  or  pernicious.  A  minister  who 
is  not  a  man  of  piety  and  prayer,  whatever  his  other 
talents  may  be,  cannot  be  called  a  servant  of  God, 
but  rather  u  a  servant  of  Satan,  chosen  by  him  far 
"  the  same  reason  that  he  chose  the  serpent  of  old  ; 
a  because  he  was  more  subtile  than  any  beast  of  the 
"  field  which  the  Lord  God  had  made." 

Every  true  Christian  ought  to  be  a  man  of  prayer. 
All  his  views,  all  his  affections,  all  his  desires,  hopes,, 
and  joys,  ought  to  be  constantly  mounting  on  the 
wings  of  devotion,  and  flying  before  him  into  heaven. 
Every  rub  which  he  meets  with  in  this  thorny  wilder- 
ness, every  outward  combat,  every  inward  struggle, 
ought  to  make  his  groans  and  prayers  rise  incessant- 
ly, as  memorials  before  that  throne  from  which  he 
expects  aid  and  deliverance.  Without  this  he  is  on- 
ly a  nominal,  not  a  real  christian.  And  if  a  christian, 
not  addicted  to  prayer,  is  a  man  without  any  interest 
in  Christ,  without  hope,  and  without  God  in  the 
world ;  what  a  monster,  O  God,  must  that  minister 
of  religion  be,  that  dispenser  of  the  ordinances  of  the 
gospel,  that  intercessor  between  God  and  his  people, 
that  reconciler  of  man  to  his  Maker,  if  he  himself  is 
not  a  man  of  prayer  !  In  this  should  consist  much 
of  his  aptitude  for  his  work,  and  much  of  his  ability 
to  perform  it.  It  should  be  his  chief  ornament,  and 
his  chief  mean  of  obtaining  aid.  The  plumage  of  the 
eagle  serves  it  equally  for  ornament  and  flight.  Strip 
him  of  that,  and  you  leave  him  helpless  and  deform- 
ed, as  a  reptile  of  the  dust.  What  his  plumage  is  to 
the  eagle,  prayer  is  to  the  minister.  Take  from  him 
this,  and  you  fix  him  to  the  ground,  without  any 
thing  to  adorn  or  support  him. 

As  we,  my  brethren,  are  ministers  of  reconciliation 
between  God  and  man,  prayer  is  one  of  our  principal 


84  LECTURE    V. 

clutics.  God  often  grants  the  grace  intended  for  the 
people  to  the  prayers  of  the  minister*  ;  of  that  minis- 
ter,  who,  like  one  of  the  angels  who  ascended  and 
descended  on  Jacob's  ladder,  not  only  pleads  the 
cause  of  God  with  the  people,  but  the  cause  of  the 
people  with  God.  It  is  our  business  to  lay  before  him 
constantly  all  the  needs  of  those  of  whom  we  have 
the  charge.  It  is  our  part  to  lament  before  him  their 
sins  ;  those  sins  which  our  care  and  zeal  cannot  pre 
vent  nor  remove.  It  is  our  part  to  solicit  for  them 
the  riches  of  his  mercy,  and  to  deprecate  his  deserved 
indignation.  It  is  ours  to  pray  that  the  sinner  may 
be  converted,  that  the  saint  may  be  confirmed,  that 
the  weak  may  be  strengthened,  the  diffident  encou- 
raged, and  the  presumptuous  alarmed.  The  more 
numerous  the  wants  and  sins  of  our  people  are,  the 
mo/e  frequent  and  fervent  should  our  prayers  be  on 
their  behalf.  Not  only  their  general  state,  but  their 
particular  cases,  ought  to  be  spread  by  us  before  the 
throne,  and  to  be  recommended,  pleaded,  and  ear- 
nestly urged,  before  the  Father  of  mercies. 

u  The  law,"  says  Philo,t  "  required  that  the  high 
u  priest  should  be  raised  above  human  nature,  to  a 
*'•'  proximity  with  God ;  that  being  placed,  as  it  were, 
-c  in  a  middle  station  betwixt  God  and  man,  he  might 
"  supplicate  God  in  behalf  of  man,  and  convey  to 
u  men  the  grace  that  is  bestowed  by  God.57 — And 
Were  we,  my  brethren,  to  consider  ourselves  in  this 
light,  and  to  act  accordingly,  it  is  impossible  to  con- 
ceive the  mutual  love,  and  endearing  affection  which 
it  would  create  between  us  and  our  people.  It  is  im- 
possible to  conceive  the  joy,  the  vigour,  and  the 
strength,  with  which  this  coniidence,  in  the  aid  of  our 
intercession  and  prayers,  would  inspire  them  in  their 
temporal,  but  especially  in  their  religious  pursuits. — 

*  See  James  v.  16.     Gen.  xx.  7.     Job  xlii.  &, 
i  Dc  Monarch ia,  lib,  %. 


LECTURE   V.  35 

The  patron  and  friend  of  the  brethren  of  the  Abbey 
.of  Ford  was  brice  overtaken  at  sea  by  a  violent  tem- 
pest, which  arose  a  little  before  break  of  day,  and 
threatened  the  vessel  in  which  he  sailed  with  imme- 
diate destruction.  All,  except  himself,  despaired,  left 
off  working-,  and  resigned  themselves  to  their  fate. — . 
:°  Do  not,  1  beseech  yon,  despond,"  said  the  pious 
man  ;  "  take  courage,  and  exert  yourselves  for  one 
"  hour  longer,  for  by  that  time  we  shall  have  the  be 
"  nelit  of  the  stated  prayers  of  the  monks  of  Ford ; 
;;  by  whom,  I  am  sure,  my  case  will  not  be  forgot- 
li  ten.*" — The  crew  resumed  their  courage  and  their 
oars,  and  about  the  time  which  the  good  man  pro- 
posed, the  hearer  of  prayer  calmed  the  storm,  and 
nave  deliverance. — The  confidence  of  having  a  share 
in  a  good  man's  prayers,  will  naturally  inspire,  even 
the  weak,  with  courage,  and  almost  the  profligate 
with  piety. 

We  should,  therefore,  my  brethren,  be  the  mouths, 
and,  in  a  qualified  sense,  the  mediators  between  God 
and  our  people.  A  holy  familiarity  (if  I  may  so 
speak)  should  subsist  between  God  and  us ;  and  if 
we  do  not  cultivate  this  by  prayer,  we  are  not  only 
lost  ourselves,  but  we  are  chargeable  with  the  loss  of 
souls  which  our  prayers  might  have  healed.  For  a 
prayerless  minister  is  not  only  useless,  but  highly  in 
juriousto  his  people ;  by  standing  in  the  place  of  a 
faithful  pastor,  whose  prayers  might  have  drawn 
down  a  thousand  blessings  on  his  poor  flock.  Yes, 
a  prayerless  minister  is  chargeable  with  all  the  crimes 
which  the  prayers  of  a  faithful  pastor  might  prevent, 
and  with  all  the  evils  which  they  might  remove. 
Has  any  of  thy  flock  strayed,  or  fallen,  or  perished  ? 
How  dost  thou  know  but,  if  thy  earnest  prayers  had 
been  spread  before  the  mercy  seat,  in  his  behalf,  he 
had  been  recovered,  supported,  saved?  Is   any  fair 


*  Vid.  Grose's  Ruins^  &c. 


26  IfcCTITRE    V. 

blossom  in  thy  portion  of  the  vineyard  blasted  ?  H^ 
any  hopeful  youth  turned  his  back  on  the  kingdom 
of  heaven,  or  any  unwary  disciple  denied  the  faith 
which  he  once  professed,  or  fallen  from  the  grace  to 
which  he  once  seemed  to  have  attained  ?  How  dost 
thou  know  but  he  might  have  stood  and  persevered, 
if  thou  hadst  prayed  that  his  faith  might  not  fail 
him  ;  after  the  example  of  thy  master,  and  according 
to  the  practice  of  his  holy  apostle  Paul.* 

God,  my  brethren,  hath  commanded  us  to  pray, 
and  promised  that  our  prayers  should  be  answered. 
Consequently  we  ought  to  tremble,  lest,  by  neglect- 
ing this  duty,  the  crimes  of  our  people  should  be- 
come our  own ;  and  lest  the  ruin  of  their  souls  should 
be  laid  to  our  charge.  Yes,  my  brethren,  the  consi- 
deration is  as  true  as  it  is  awful  :  Before  the  tribunal 
of  Christ,  a  minister  may  be  chargeable  with  the 
corruption  of  his  fellow  citizens,  with  the  irregular- 
ity of  his  friends  and  neighbours,  and  with  the  evils 
which  prevail  in  that  part  of  the  church  which  is 
entrusted  to  his  care.  In  that  terrible  day  of  venge- 
ance, a  thousand  unhappy  souls  may  approach 
him,  (may  approach,  perhaps,  you  and  me)  and  say : 
"  Ah,  cruel,  careless  man  !  If  thy  piety  and  prayers 
•'  had  aided  our  desires,  feeble  and  faint  as  they  often 
a  were,  we  had  repented  in  dust  and  ashes,  and  had 
u  stood,  on  this  day,  on  the  other  hand  of  Jesus, 
"  and  on  the  other  side  of  this  gulf,  which  will  now 
"  for  ever  divide  us  from  the  abodes  of  the  holy  and 
a  happy.  Farewell,  mansions  of  bliss,  farewell,  re- 
"  gions  of  glory !  Cruel  man,  who  hast  helped  to  shut 
w  us  out ;  behold  what  was  once  our  land  of  pro- 
"  mise  :  behold  it  afar  off ;  and  then  lie  down  with 
a  us,  in  everlasting  torments !" 

This,  my  brethren,  is  not  the  reverie  of  a  wander 
ing  fancy,  nor  the  suggestion  of  superstitious  fear. 

*  I.  Thess.  i.  ?. 


LECTURE    V.  31 

No ;  but  a  matter  which  gives  us  the  most  serious 
cause  of  being  alarmed.  For,  if  the  unfruitful  fig- 
tree  is  sentenced  to  the  fire,  and  the  servant  who 
hid  his  talent  condemned,  how  can  the  minister  who 
neglected  prayer  escape  ?  Will  not  the  souls,  whom 
his  prayers  might  have  helped  to  save,  be  swjft  wit- 
nesses against  him,  however  inoffensive  his  conduct: 
may  have  been  in  other  respects  ?  If  Moses  had  suf- 
fered his  hands  to  fall,  and  ceased  to  pray  on  the 
mountain,  would  not  the  blood  of  the  fallen  Israelites 
cry  against  him  ;  and  when  they  were  able  to  con- 
quer Amalck,  when  aided  by  his  prayers,  might  he 
not,  if  those  prayers  had  been  cruelly  withheld,  be 
considered  as  the  murderer  of  his  brethren  ? 

It  was  a  custom  of  old,  among  many  heathen  na- 
tions, and  I  believe  still  prevails  in  some  parts  of  the 
world,  to  make  their  kings,  who  were  also  their 
priests,  answer  for  it  with  their  life,  if  their  people 
were  visited  with  unhappy  times,  or  unfruitful  sea- 
sons. They  supposed,  that  if  they  had  been  men  of 
piety  and  prayer,  and  as  intimate  with  the  gods  as 
they  ought,  those  calamities  might  have  been  entirely 
prevented,  or  soon  removed. — The  custom  may  ap- 
pear cruel,  and  the  opinion  on  which  it  was  founded 
unreasonable  and  ridiculous.  It  was  extremely  so, 
indeed,  in  nations,  whose  gods  themselves  had  not  in 
their  hands  the  issue  of  events,  nor  any  power  over 
the  seasons.  But  with  respect  to  ministers  of  the 
gospel,  the  case  is  so  very  different,  that,  though  the 
practice  may  not  be  defensible,  under  any  admini- 
stration of  religion  whatever,  the  opinion  must  be 
owned  to  be  at  least  much  less  absurd  ;  and  shows 
how  natural  it  is  for  men  to  look  up  to  their  priests, 
as  their  intercessors  with  heaven.  Let  us  not  then 
disobey  the  command  of  God,  nor  disappoint  the 
faith  of  men,  by  not  stirring  up  this  gift  of  God  that 
is  in  us,  and  trying  the  utmost  that  we  can  effect  by 
our  prayers ;  for  that  may  be   greatly  beyond  our 


Sb  LECTURE    V. 

conception.     If  the  prayers  of  a  minister  of  the  law 
had  the  power  to  open  or  to  shut  the  heavens,  to 
procure  drought  or  rain,  scarce  or  plentiful  seasons, 
why  may  we  not  suppose  the  prayers  of  a  minister 
of  the  gospel   might  he  as  prevalent  with    God  ?  // 
1  he  ministration  of  condemnation  be  glory,  mark  more 
doth  the  ministration  of  righteousness  exceed  in  glory, 
I  would  ask  of  those  who  make  light  of  this  ob- 
servation, whether   they  can  take  upon  them  to  set 
any  limits  to  the  efficacy  of  prayer,  and  say,  "  Thus 
a  far  the  prayers  of  a  faithful  minister  shall  prevail, 
"  and  no  farther.     This  is  the  ne  plus  ultra  that  his 
"  requests  can  obtain  from  God."     If  any  man  shall 
take  upon  him  to  say  so,  I  will  not  scruple  to  pro- 
nounce his  presumption  as  strong  as  wras  the  faith  of 
that  wrestler  with  God  in  prayer,  who,  in  the  immi- 
nent danger  of  his  country,  wras  heard  to  plead  with 
strong  cries  and  tears,  "  Lord,  give  the  safety  of  my 
Ci  country  at  this  time  to  my  prayers.     I  will  cling  to 
"  the  foot  of  the  throne  till  I  obtain  it." — Yes,  my 
brethren,  the  Almighty  is  so  far  from  being  offended 
at  such  bold  requests,  that  he  is  represented  in  scrip 
ture  as  looking  earnestly  out  for  good  men  to  make 
them,  and  greatly  disappointed  when  men  of  such  a 
spirit   are   not  found  :  /  sought  for  a  man  among 
them  (says  God  of  his  degenerate  people  of  old)  thai 
should  make  up  tJie  hedge,  and  stand  in  the  gap  before 
me,  for  the  land,  that  I  should  not  destroy  it,  but  found 
none* — When  God  is  so  merciful,  who  will  dare  say 
how  far  the  fervent  prayer  of  a  righteous  man  will 
prevail. 

Nothing,  my  brethren  is  so  difficult  or  impossible 
with  man,  but  by  prayer  it  may  be  obtained.  By 
prayer,  Abraham,  when  he  and  Sarah  were  old,  ob- 
tained the  son  of  promise.  By  prayer,  the  children 
of  Israel  were  delivered  from  Egyptian  bondage  and 

*  Ezek,  xxii.  SO. 


LECTURE   V*  39 

oppression.  By  prayer,  Moses  pacified  the  wrath 
of  God,  so  that  he  destroyed  not  his  people,  and  by 
prayer  and  lifting  up  of  hands,  he  routed  the  hosts  of 
Amalek.  By  prayer,  Joshua  stopped  the  course  of 
the  sun.  By  prayer,  Sampson  brought  down  the 
house  of  Dagon  upon  the  Philistines.  By  prayer, 
Solomon  obtained  incomparable  wisdom :  and  by 
the  same  means,  Ilezekiah,  at  the  point  of  death, 
had  his  life  lengthened.  By  prayer,  Daniel  stopped 
the  mouths  of  the  lions,  and  the  three  children  walk 
ed  unhurt  in  the  midst  of  the  fiery  furnace  seven  times 
heated.  By  prayer,  Jonah  was  brought  safe  from 
his  watery  grave  ;  and,  by  prayer,  angels  came  down 
to  enlarge  St.  Peter.  What  is  there  for  which  pray 
er  will  not  avail  ?  It  cures  diseases,  dispossesseth  de- 
vils, sanctifies  the  creatures  to  us,  and  unlocks  the 
gates  of  heaven.  Prayer  hath  power  with  God, 
iooseus  the  bands  of  sin,  purifies  the  soul,  reforms  the 
heart,  draws  down  the  aids  of  divine  grace,  and  pro- 
cures the  fellowship  of  the  holy  spirit.  It  is  season- 
able for  all  times,  fit  for  all  places,  necessary  for  all 
persons  ;  and,  without  it,  no  business,  however  ho- 
nest or  lawful,  can  be  supposed  to  prosper. 

In  a  word,  so  extensive  are  the  promises,  and  so 
large  the  grants,  which  are  made  in  scripture  to  the, 
prayers  of  the  faithful,  that  there  is  scarce  any  tempo- 
ral or  spiritual  mercy,  which  we  should  reckon  it 
impossible  to  obtain,  if  we  always  pray  and  not  faint. 
And  if  we  do  not,  every  public  or  private  calamity 
within  our  knowledge,  whether  of  a  temporal  or  spi- 
ritual nature,  may  reproach  us  with  being  the  cause; 
if  not  of  their  coming,  at  least  of  their  continuance. 
For  every  evil  which  our  prayers  might  prevent  or 
remove,  may  be  laid  t  o  our  charge,  if  we  are  not  men 
\A  prayer  and  of  piety. 

Seeing,  then  my  brethren,  we  are  told,  that  what- 
ever we  shall  ask  in  Christ's  name  we  shall  receive  it, 
•"•  Bit  possible  that  there  should  be  a ny  amongst  us 


40  tEdruRE  v. 

"  who  can  either  live  without  prayer,  or  who  can 
"  pray  but  seldom,  or  who  can  pray  without  fervour 
"  and  zeal  ?  Or  can  he  confine  all  his  prayers  to  a 
"  cold,  careless,  and  hasty  rehearsal  of  some  conned 
"  form  of  speech,  which  may  seldom  suit  the  case  or 
"  circumstances  of  himself  or  of  his  people  ?  Can  he 
"  possibly  be  so  indifferent,  when  he  beholds  their 
"  many  miseries  and  calamities,  and  sees  the  great- 
"  est  part  of  them  living  in  sin,  and  perishing  before 
*'  his  eyes  under  a  load  of  guilt  and  impenitence  ? — 
•*  When  the  high  priest,  Aaron,  saw  part  of  hispeo- 
"  pie  smitten  by  the  hand  of  God,  and  expiring  be- 
"  fore  him,  he  ran  between  the  dead  and  the  living, 
"  he  lifted  his  hands  to  heaven,  he  wept  for  the  mi- 
"  sery  of  such  as  fell  before  his  eyes,  he  prayed,  he 
"  cried,  he  wrestled  ;  and  his  prayer  was  heard,  the 
"  plague  was  stopped,  and  the  sword  of  God's  an- 
"  ger  was  sheathed." 

* •  This,  my  brethren,  is  the  image  of  a  good  mi- 
*'  nister.  Among  his  people  he  walks,  I  may  say, 
"  between  the  dead  and  the  living.  He  sees  by  his 
*'  side  some  of  his  flock  dead,  and  others  ready  to 
"  expire,  having  only  some  faint  or  flattering  signs  of 
t(  life.  He  sees  the  invisible  sword  of  God's  wrath 
"  hanging  over  these  people.  He  sees  reigning 
€t  crimes  ;  he  sees  hastening  death.  All  this  he  be- 
u  holds  ;  it  is  a  spectacle  which  he  has  every  day 
"  before  his  eyes,  and  which  every  day  makes  those 
*'  eyes  weep. — If  he  is  one  who  is  not  affected  with 
"  this,  he  is  not  a  pastor ;  he  is  a  mercenary  wretch, 
"  who  sees  in  cold  blood  the  destruction  of  his  flock. 
<(  He  is  either  a  minister  fallen  from  the  grace  of  the 
'<  gospel,  or,  to  speak  more  properly,  one  who  has 
•*  never  received  it.  But,  if  this  lamentable  sight 
"  affects  him,  ah!  what  must  the  first  motions  of 
tf  his  grief  and  zeal  be  !  He  will  address  himself  to 
"  that  God  who  woundeth  and  who  healeth,  who 
"  killeth  and  who  maketh  alive:  He  will  offer  Urn 


LECTURE   V.  41 

41  prayers,  and  secret  tears  of  grief  and  love,  for  his 
"  people :  He  will  remind  an  angry  God  of  his  an- 

*  cient  promises,  and  of  his  gracious  covenant ;  he 
"will  move  his  paternal  heart,  by  his  sigh,    and 

*  tears,  and  prayers  ;  he  will  almost  oiler  himseii*  to 
"  he  accursed  for  his  brethren*." 

Yes,  my  brethren,  a  pastor  who  does  not  pray, 
who  does  not  love  prayer,  who  does  not  live  a  life 
of  prayer,  does  not   belong  to   that  church  which 
prays  without  ceasing.     He  is  not  united  to  the  spirit 
of  prayer   and  love.      He  is  a  stranger,  who  hath 
usurped  the  pastor's  office,  and  to  whom  the  salva- 
tion of  his  flock  gives  little  concern. — Do  we  detest 
the  character,  and  wish  to  avoid  the  fate  of  such  a 
minister?  Then  let  us  be  frequent  and  fervent  in 
prayer.     This  will  render  our  functions  more  useful, 
our  labours  much  sweeter,  and  the  wants  and  mise- 
ries of  our  people  much  fewer.     Our  prayers  will  be 
a  source  of  usefulness  to  others ;  of  support  and  con- 
solation to  ourselves.     Whereas,  if  you  take  from  a 
minister  the  spirit  of  prayer,  you  deprive  him  of  his 
life  and  soul,  and  leave  him  nothing  but  a  corrupt 
carcase,  which  will  infect  all  who  come  near  it.  His 
service  is  nothing  but  cold  inanimate  wTords,  and  his 
office  a  burden ;  a  task,  painful  to  himself,  and  un- 
profitable to  others.  Even  those  public  prayers  which 
he  is  obliged  to  recite,  so  full  of  consolation  to  a  good 
minister,  so  capable  of  supporting  him  under  all  the 
toils  of  his  function^  and  of  kindling  in  his  soul  sen- 
timents of  affiance  and  love  to  God, — those  prayers 
are,  to  the  indevout  minister,  disagreeable  and  irk- 
some.    Unhappy  the  people  who  have  such  a  minis* 
ter  !  If  they  are  labouring  under  any  calamity,  will 
he  appease  the  wrath  of  God,  as  Moses ;  or  stand  in 
the  breach  between  the  living  and  the  dead,  as  Aa- 
ron ?  Alas !  so  far  is  he  from  being  the  means  of  re- 

.-^- _ .        I .-Ml.  ,     III  ...» 

*  Massilon. 


42  LECTURE   V. 

moving  these  calamities,  that  he  was,  perhaps,  a 
principal  cause  of  their  coming  on.  Mine  anger  was 
kindled  against  the  shepherds,  says  God,  ana  I  pun- 
ished the  goats*.  Can  he  console  them  in  trouble  ? 
alas  he  is  utterly  unacquainted  with  those  consola- 
tions which  are  to  be  had  only  at  the  foot  of  the 
throne  of  grace,  where  he  is  very  much  a  stranger. 

*'  When  tyrants  and  persecutors  of  the  church 
"  were  born,  it  was  believed  by  the  people  that  signs 
u  and  omens,  portending  great  disasters,  appeared  in 
a  the  heavens.  The  observation  was  owing,  perhaps, 
,;  to  the  credulity  and  superstition  of  mankind.  But 
lC  if  we  could  indeed  see  the  face  of  heaven,  and 
"  discern  the  greatest  calamities  which  come  upon  the 
;  church  we  should  undoubtedly  see  the  most  dreadful 
"  of  them  preceded  by  the  birth  of  wicked  ministers. — 
ic  The  worst  of  tyrants,  while  they  made  the  earth  red 
u  with  the  blood  of  martyrs,  drew  greater  honour 
"  and  confirmation  on  the  gospel,  and  increased  the 
'"  number  of  the  faithful.  But  wicked  ministers 
%i  heap  calamities  on  the  church,  without  contributing 
u  any  thing  to  it's  welfare.  And  when  I  speak  of 
^  wicked  ministers,  I  do  not  suppose  them  defiled 
"  with  any  gross  crimes ;  I  do  not  suppose  them 
"  worldly,  covetous,  dissipated,  or  given  to  any  of 
u  the  levities,  not  to  say  enormities,  of  the  age.  I 
<*  suppose  them  to  be  only  cold,  remiss,  and  negli- 
"  gent  of ' prayer  \" 

When,  therefore,  we  consider  the  good  fruits  of 
the  spirit  of  prayer,  and  all  the  train  of  evils  which 
How  from  the  want  of  it,  ought  we  not  to  take  all 
possible  pains  to  cultivate  and  cherish  such  a  spirit, 
by  being  earnest  and  instant  in  all  manner  of  prayer 
and  supplication  for  ourselves  and  for  others.  This) 
would,   under  God,  be  a  sure  mean  of  making  us 

*  See  Zech.  x.  8.    Lam.  iv.  13         +  VicL  Massiloo. 


LECTURE    V.  43 

holy  and  happy  in  ourselves,  as  well  as  useful  to  our 
people*. 

*  "  Ouranius  is  a  holy  priest,  full  of  the  spirit  of  the  gos- 
«*  pel,  watching,  labouring,  and  praying  for  a  poor  country 
"  village.  Every  soul  in  it  is  as  dear  to  him  as  himself,  and  he 
"  loves  them  all  as  he  loves  himself;  because  he  prays  for 
"  them  all  as  often  as  he  prays  for  himself.  If  his  whole  life 
**  is  one  continued  exercise  of  great  zeal  and  labour,  hardly 
"  ever  satisfied  with  any  degree  of  care  and  watchfulness,  'tis 
f(  because  he  has  learned  the  great  value  of  souls,  by  so  often 
**  appearing  before  God   as  an   intercessor  for  them.     He 

*  goes  about  his  parish,  and  visits  every  body  in  it ;  but  vi~ 
fX  sits  in  the  same  spirit  of  piety  that  he  preaches  to  them  -3 
**  he  visits  them  to  encourage  their  virtues,  to  assist  them 

*  with  his  advice  and  counsel,  to  discover  their  manner  of 
**  life,  and  to  know  the  state  of  their  souls,  that  he  may  in- 
"  tercede  with  God  for  them,  according  to  their  particular 
V  necessities.  When  Ouranius  first  entered  into  holy  orders, 
"  he  had  a  haughtiness  in  his  temper,  a  great  contempt  and 
rr  disregard  for  all  foolish  and  unreasonable  people  :  but  he 
*'  has  prayed  away  this  spirit,  and  has  now  the  greatest  ten. 
"  derness  for  the  most  obstinate  sinners  j  because  he  is  al* 
f  ways  hoping  that  God  will,  sooner  or  later,  hear  those 
S(  prayers  that  he  makes  for  their  repentance.  The  rude- 
"  ness,  ill-nature,  or  perverse  behaviour  of  any  of  his  flock, 
<s  used  first  to  betray  him  into  impatience,  but  now  it  raises 
'*  no  other  passion  in  him  than  a  desire  of  being  upon  his 
"  knees  in  prayer  to  God  for  them.  Thus  have  his  prayers 
"  for  others  altered  and  amended  the  state  of  his  own  heart 

^f  It  would  strangely  delight  you  to  see  with  what  spirit  he* 
*'  converses,  with  what  tenderness  he  reproves,  with  what 
"  affection  he  exhorts  and  preaches  to  those  for  whom  he  first 
"  prayed  to  God.  This  devotion  softens  his  heart,  enlight^ 
','  ens  his  mind,  sweetens  his  temper,  and  makes  every  thing 
*'  that  comes  from  him  instructive,  amiable  and  affecting. 
•*  He  thinks  the  poorest  creatures  in  his  parish  good  enough, 
f  and  great  enough,  to  deserve  the  humblest  attendances 


44  LECTURE   V. 

Of  the  matter,  or  manner  of  prayer,  there  is  no 
occasion  to  speak  in  this  place.  I  shall  only  observe, 
in  so  many  words,  that  for  the  manner  and  language 
oi  prayer,  we,  as  well  as  others,  would  do  well  to 
take  the  scriptures  for  our  model.  In  them  we  are 
taught  what  to  ask,  and  how  to  ask ;  insomuch  that 
the  weakest  christian  is  not  now  so  much  at  a  loss 
as  was  the  great  philosopher  of  old,  who  could  only 
say  to  God,  "  Give  us  that  which  is  good,  if  we 
"  should  not  know  how  to  ask  it;  and  avert  that 
•*  which  is  evil,  if  we  should  ignorantly  desire  it." 
If  the  heart  of  a  man  is  really  affected  with  his  guilt, 
misery,  and  mercies,  and  well  acquainted  with  the 
scriptures,  it  will  never  be  at  a  loss  for  the  most 
plain,  the  most  natural,  and  the  most  forcible  lan- 
guage, to  express  it's  feelings.  And  if  it  has  the 
grace  of  humility,  it  will  seek  to  God  only  through 
the  name  and  merits  of  the  appointed  Mediator. 

In  regard  to  the  manner  to  be  observed  in  praying, 
I  shall  only  say,  that  it  should  be  as  solemn,  and  se- 
rious, and  fervent  as  possible.  The  length  and  fre- 
quency of  the  stated  performance  of  this  duty,'  I 
leave  to  your  own  hearts,  with  which,  if  they  are 
right,  they  may  safely  be  trusted*.  I  shall  only  re- 
mark, that  we  have  much  reason  to  rejoice  in  the 
frequent  calls  and  opportunities,  which  we,  above 
all  other  men,  have  to  the  high  privilege  of  address- 
ing God  by  prayer  :  by  prayer,  which  opens  to  the 
mind  a  scene  of  greater  things,  and  a  source  of 
higher  consolations,  than  any  thing  here  below ;  and 

"  the  kindest  friendships,  the  tenderest  offices  he  can  possi- 
"  bly  shew  them.  He  presents  every  one  of  them  so  often 
"  before  God  in  his  prayers,  that  he  never  thinks  he  can  es^ 
*  teem,  reverence,  and  serve  those  enough  for  whom  he  im» 

"  plores   so   many  mercies  from  God.'" Law's   Serious 

Call,  &c. 

#  Absit  multa  locutio,  sed  non  desit  multaprecatio.  Aug, 


LECTURE   V.  45 

whicli  fills  the  soul  with  the  hope,  and  prepares  it  for 
the  enjoymentof  the  presence  of  God  and  the  glory  of 
heaven.  Hence  it  was,  that  the  primitive  Christians 
for  some  hundred  years,  besides  their  hours  of  prayer 
in  the  day-time,  rose  from  their  beds  (and  some- 
times met  publicly  in  their  churches)  to  pray  to  God 
at  midnight.  1  must  also  observe,  that  even  our 
most  private  prayers  ought  to  be  cloathed  in  lan- 
guage, and  expressed  loud  enough  to  be  heard  by 
ourselves,  the  better  to  engage  our  attention,  and  to 
get  our  hearts  affected.  For  our  devotion,  like  our- 
selves, must  consist  of  body  as  well  as  spirit,  so  long 
at  least  as  we  are  dwellers  in  the  clay.  I  would  not 
be  understood  as  extending  this  direction  to  mental  or 
ejaculatory  prayer  ;  for  then  it  might  sometimes  be 
improper  or  inconvenient,  though  not  always;  Re* 
member  me,  0  God,  for  good,  said  Nehemiah  in  his 
heart,  while  in  the  presence  of  his  king,  and  enga- 
ged in  the  exercise  of  his  office  :  /  watt,  O  God,  for 
thy  salvation,  said  Jacob  aloud  in  the  midst  of  a 
most  interesting  and  important  conversation,  con- 
cerning the  fate  of  his  posterity. 

Before  I  drop  the  subject  of  prayer,  I  must  ob- 
serve, that  praise  (which  I  include  in  it)  is  no  less 
becoming  a  minister  of  the  gospel.  Praise  is  the  no- 
blest employment  of  our  faculties,  and  that  in  which 
we  approach  nearest  the  perfection  and  felicity  of 
celestial  beings.  It  is,  indeed,  the  highest  preroga- 
tive of  our  nature,  and  the  sublimest  part  of  our 
worship.  It  is  also  the  most  delightful ;  for,  while 
prayer  reminds  us  of  our  wants,  and  confession  re- 
minds us  of  our  sins,  praise  leads  our  thoughts  to 
the  pleasing  recollection  of  mercies  received,  and  of 
blessings  still  greater  in  prospect.  It  rejoices  the  soul, 
and  cheers  the  spirits,  and  makes  us  both  taste  and 
trust  the  loving  kindness  of  the  Lord.  In  this  exer- 
cise, therefore,  it  becomes  us  to  be  frequently  enga- 
ged ;  for  occasions  are  never  wanting.     Our  o  wu 


46  lecture  y. 

mercies,  arid  those  of  our  people,  with  respect  to 
soul  and  body,  time  and  eternity  ;  with  respect  to 
creation,  preservation,  and  redemption,  whatever  way 
we  turn  our  wondering  eyes,  suggest  matter  of  per- 
petual praise  and  thankfulness.  And  if  man  should 
consider  himself  as  the  priest  of  creation,  whose  of- 
fice it  is  to  praise  God,  not  only  for  his  goodness  to 
men,  but  to  the  irrational  and  mute  creation  also, 
how  much  more  should  ministers  of  the  gospel  pre- 
sent to  God  an  offering  for  every  creature?  Be  it 
then  our  delight  in  time,  as  we  hope  it  shall  be  our 
work  in  eternity,  to  sing,  without  ceasing,  praise  to 
him  that  sitteth  on  the  throne,  and  to  the  Lamb  that 
was  slain,  and  hath  redeemed  us  by  his  bloody  to  be 
kings  and  priests  of  God  for  ever: 


LECTURE  VI. 

Thai  a  Minister  of  the  Gospel  should  be  j  Self -denied 
and  mortified  to  the  World. 

IF  any  man  will  be  my  disciple,  saith  our  Lord,  let 
him  deny  himself,  take  up  his  cross,  and  follow  me. 
Self  denial,  which  consists  not  only  in  watching  and 
striving  against  every  temptation,  and  in  subduing" 
every  inclination  to  what  is  evil,  but  also  in  mode- 
rating our  affections  to  what  is  even  unlawful  an4 
innocent,  is  the  first  and  absolute  condition  which 
Christ  requires  of  all  his  followers. — How  much 
more  of  his  peculiar  servants  E 

I  am  sensible,  however,  that  this  doctrine  of  self- 
denial,  and  of  mortification  (which  is  but  the  same 
principle  carried  forward  to  more  perfection),  is  not 
only  unpleasant,  but  at  present  unfashionable.  It  is, 
therefore,  the  more  necessary  to  insist  upon  it ;  that, 
if  possible,  we  may  convince  ourselves  of  it's  indis- 
pensible  necessity.  For  this  purpose  a  very  little  re- 
flection may  suffice  us.  Our  appetites  and  passions 
are  ready  to  rebel  against  the  superior  principle  that 
should  rule  them,  and  to  go  beyond  the  limits  assign- 
ed them  by  reason  and  religion.  In  other  words, 
the  flesh  lusteth  against  the  spirit ;  the  lower  against 
the  higher  part  of  our  nature ;  so  that  it  becomes 
the  business  of  the  christian  to  deny  this  part  of  him- 
self, and  kill  or  mortify  the  flesh  trilli  the  affections 
and  lusts  thereof ;  to  subdue  every  inclination  to  evil, 
although  the  exertion  may  sometimes  be  painful,  as 
thecutting  off  the  right  hand,  or  plucking  out  the  right 
eye.  It  is  only,  in  so  far  as  we  thus  deny  ourselves, 
that  we  are  true  christians,  and  advance  in  virtue 
and  piety.  It  is  only,  in  so  far  as  we  subdue  or  de- 
ny ourselves  the  instances  of  vanity  and  pride,  that 


48  LECTLTvE   VI. 

we  are  humble  ;  and  we  arc  heavenly-minded,  only 
in  the  measure  in  which  we  subdue  the  instances  of 
earthly  affections.  In  short,  every  virtue  is  built  on 
the  ruin  and  self-denial  of  some  vicious  passion,  or 
corrupt  affection  of  our  nature.  It  is  therefore,  as 
necessary  to  deny  ourselves  what  would  support  and 
cherish  the  corruptions  of  our  nature,  as  it  is  to  pur- 
sue those  things  that  would  purify  and  exalt  the 
soul.  It  is  as  necessary  to  mortify  the  body,  with 
it's  affections  and  lusts,  as  it  is  to  cultivate  and  che- 
rish the  principle  of  holiness*.  Accordingly,  St. 
Paul  practised  this  self-denial  and  mortification,  as  a 
matter  of  absolute  necessity,  to  secure  his  salvation. 
Although  he  lived  in  infirmities,  in  reproaches,  in  ne- 
cessities, in  persecutions,  in  distresses,  for  Christ's 
sake ;  and,  although  he  was  also  full  of  signs  and 
wonders,  and  mighty  deeds,  and,  caught  up  into  the 
third  heavens ;  yet,  without  this  self-denial  and 
mortification,  he  thought  his  virtues  insecure,  his  sal- 
vation in  danger,  and  all  his  pious  labours  as  vain  as 
beating  the  air.  So  run  I,  says  he,  as  not  uncertainly  ; 
so  fight  I,  not  as  one  that  beateth  the  air.  But  I  keep 
under  my  body,  and  bring  it  to  subjection,  lest  that  by 
any  means,  when  I  have  preached  to  others,  I  myself 
should  be  a  cast-a-way. 

Hence  it  appears,  that  he  who  does  not  thus  run 
a  life  of  mortification  and  self-denial,  runs  uncer- 
tainly ;  and  that  he  who  does  not  thus  fight  and  sub- 
due himself,  fights  to  as  little  purpose  as  if  he  beat 
the  air.  What  more  then  need  be  said  of  the 
necessity  of  bearing  our  cross  daily,  and  living  a  life 
of  mortification  and  self-denial  ?  Even  an  apostle, 
preaching  the  gospel,  with  signs  and  wonders,  in  the 
midst  of  labour,  distress  and  persecution,  for  Christ's 
sake,  thought  his  own  salvation  in  danger  without 
this  mortification  and  subjection  of  his  body :  And 
can  we,  who  have  no  such  pretensions,  expect  to 
get  to  heaven  upon  any  other  terms  ? 

*  See  Law  on  Christian  Perfection. 


LECTURE    VI.  40 

As  we  are  called  to  be  followers  of  Christ,  to  have 
a  conformity  to  his  life,  and  especially  to  have  a  fel- 
lowship with  him  in  his  sufferings,  we  must  of  ne- 
cessity practice  this  christian  duty,  if  we  would  tread 
in  our  Master's  footsteps,   and  have  a  share  in  his 
kingdom.     Without  it,  indeed,  we  cannot  be  parta- 
kers of  the  heavenly  nature  ;  for  this  cannot  be  at- 
tained, until  we  have  first  subdued  our  earthly  nature, 
with  all  it's  vain  and  corrupt  affections.     Then  only 
can  we  have  a  true  relish  for  divine  and  heavenly 
things,  and  have  our  souls  in  a  fit  frame  to  receive 
the  divine  grace,  and  to  have   fellowship  and  com- 
munion with  the  Divine  Spirit.  We  ought,  therefore, 
not  only  to  bear  our  cross  patiently,  but  to  take  it 
up  cheerfully  ;  and  even  to  seek  and  embrace  occasi- 
ons of  putting  self-denial  daily  in  practice.     By  the 
appointment  of  God,  the  expiation  of  sin  seems  to 
be  made  by  suffering  ;  and,  therefore,  we  ought  to 
show  our  readiness  to  have  a  fellowship,  and  to  co- 
operate with  the  great  Sufferer,  by  cheerfully  bear- 
ing  what  we  can    of  the    burden.     We  ought   to 
confess  the  debt  which  we   have  contracted,  by  at 
least  something  like  an  acknowledgement  that  it's 
penalty  may  be  required  of  us. — And  if  we  consid- 
er the  cross  in  the  light  of  discipline,  and  not  of  pu- 
nishment, we  may  see  no  less  reason  to  bear  it  wil- 
lingly, however  painful  and  difficult,  in  order  to  sub 
due  the  pride,  vanity,  corruption,  and  sensuality  of 
our  nature.     Painful  and  difficult,   I  own,  this  duty 
may  be  ;  but,  as  it's  utility,  and  even  necessity,  can 
not  be  denied,  nothing  ought  to  deter  us  from  it's 
practice.     The  satisfaction  of  doing  our  duty,  and 
of  living  up  to  the  dignity  of  our  nature,  in  the  pre- 
sent world,  with  the  prospect  of  an  eternal  reward 
in  the  next,  are  motives  abundantly  strong  to  put  us 
upon  every  possible  exertion.     And,  if  our  powers 
are  exerted,  they  will,  by  the  grace  of  God,  be  al- 
ways equal  to  our  duty.    If  we  have  only  resolution 

IT 


5Q  LECTURE    VI. 

to  begin,  and  perseverance  to  go  through,  what  is  it 
that  we  cannot  accomplish  ?  By  means  of  these,  and 
of  the  grace  of  God,  which  is  never  wanting,  we 
see  what  others  have  been  enabled  to  perform  ;  and 
the  same  road  to  glory  still  lies  open.  What  noble 
instances  have  we  in  St.  Paul,  and  in  the  primitive 
christians,  of  the  exercise  of  self-denial,  by  which 
they  kept  their  bodies  under,  endured  hardships,  and 
triumphed  over  the  world?  And,  in  latter  times, 
what  astonishing  instances  of  it  do  we  see  in  the  mis- 
taken cruelties  exercised  on  their  own  llesh  and  blood, 
by  devout  and  holy  men,  such  as  Francis,  Simon, 
and  one  nearer  home,  St.  Kentigern*,  till  they  had 
perfectly  attained  their  end  ?  And  if  these  men  could 
perform  so  much,  in  cases  in  which  we  cannot  sup- 
pose they  had  any  supernatural  assistance,  what  may 
not  a  man  perform  in  those  required  instances  of  du- 
ty, in  which  he  has  the  promise  of  the  grace  of  God 
to  aid  him  ? 

There  is  in  the  human  mind,  a  spring,  or  impetus, 
which  can  do  winders,  if  properly  excited,  but 
whose  effect  is  never  so  visible  as  when  exercised  in 
the  cause  of  religion.  The  mind  then  rises  above  it's 
usual  pitch,  and  seems  possessed  of  a  strength  above 
it's  own.  Hence  the  miracles  recorded  of  the  con 
stancy  and  suffering  of  martyrs,  of  the  weakest  sex 
and  tenderest  age. — And  even  in  false  religions,  the 
belief  of  their  doing  what  was  pleasing  to  God,  made 

*  Accounts  of  St  Francis,  and  of  Simon,  (who  lived  forty 
vears  on  the  top  of  a  pillar)  may  be  seen  in  Mosheim,  &c.  and 
of  Kentigern,  the  following;  specimen  may  suffice — Dormivifc 
'/  super  lapides,  cincribus  asperrimus  substratis — etdum  psah 
u.  terimcantaret,  in  frigida  aqua  manebat. — In  ipso  libidinis 
"  ignit-,  vel  invigilando,  vel  etiam  dormiendo,  ita  extinctus 
•*  ut  (sicuti  discipulis  suis  quadam  vice  profitebatur)  non  ma* 
ce  gis  ad  speciosissimse  puellas  visum,  aut  tactum,  quam  ad 
'•■«  durissimi  filicis  stimularetur."—  Vita  Kentie. 


LECTURE    VI.  51 

men  perform  severer  exercises  than  any  of  those 
which  Christianity  requires.  We  might  instance  in 
the  priests  of  Baal,  of  Moloch,  and  the  whole  fra- 
ternity of  Bramins.  The  Athenian  priests  too,  know- 
ing the  necessity  of  self-denial,  made  strange  efforts 
to  mortify  the  body,  and  subject  it  to  the  soul,  that 
they  might  be  more  entirely  devoted  to  the  service  of 
their  gods,  and  perform  the  functions  of  their  office 
without  distraction*. 

Now,  if  all  these,  from  mere  natural  fortitude, 
could  do  and  bear  so  much,  what  might  not  we  en- 
dure or  perform  in  that  better  cause,  in  which  we 
have  stronger  motives,  nobler  promises,  and  blighter 
prospects  ?  Let  us  remember  how  these  considerati 
ons  animated  the  martyrs  in  their  fiery  trials. — "  How 
"  can  you  endure  the  torments  you  are  going  to  suf- 
"  fer  r  said  a  heathen  to  one  of  them,  as  he  cheer* 
fully  walked  to  the  stake.  "  Ah  !"  replyed  the  mar- 
tyr, "  you  know  nothing  of  the  joy  which  I  expect, 
r<  nor  of  the  torment  which  I  fearf/' 

Whoever  keeps  his  eye  ^steadily  fixed  on  heaven 
and  hell,  the  hope  and  the  fear  of  the  martyr  will 
make  little  account  of  the  self-denial  required  by  the 
gospel.  It  is  no  more  than  is  necessary,  as  the  test 
of  our  virtue,  and  as  the  evidence  of  our  fidelity,  in 
this  our  state  of  trial.  It  is  no  more  than  is  neces- 
sary, for  making  us  fit  members  of  the  society  of 
true  christians  here,  and  fit  for  being  members  of  the 
society  of  heaven.  We  must,  therefore,  take  up 
our  cross  daily,  strive  against  every  the  least  tenden- 
cy and  temptation  to  evil,  and  learn  habitually  to 

*  Legimus  Hierophantes  Atheniensium,  postquam  in  pon- 
tificatum  evicti  crant,  ut  castissime  sanctissimeque  sacrum 
facerent  cicutae  sorbitione  castrari. — Alex,  ab  Akxand.  et  Je- 
rom.  contra  Jovian. 

f  Nondum  vidisti  requiem  quam  speramus,  nee  tormenta 
quae  timemus. 


52  LECTURE   VL 

maintain  the  conflict,  till  at  length  wc  shall,  by  di- 
vine assistance,  be  more  than  conquerors,  and  have 
the  corruptions  of  our  nature  thoroughly  subdued. 
These  efforts  are  particularly  necessary,  till  our  good 
habits  are  sufficiently  confirmed ;  after  which,  the 
trial  of  our  virtue  will  be  more  easily  borne,  although 
we  must  at  no  time  lay  aside  our  arms,  or  dispense 
with  our  vigilance.  We  must  be  faithful  unto  the 
death,  if  we  would  then  expect  the  crown  of  life. 

Nor  is  it  enough  to  resist  our  inclinations  to  what 
is  wrong ;  we  must  also  moderate  our  affections  to 
those  worldly  and  earthly  objects  and  pursuits,  which, 
within  their  proper  bounds,  may  be  lawful  and  inno- 
cent. One  of  the  fathers,  on  observing  that  the  ex- 
cuses made  by  those  who  were  invited  to  the  marri- 
age supper  were  all  of  this  nature,  cried  out,  "  Peri- 
*'  mus  licitis!"  The  things  that  are  allowed  us  may 
prove  a  snare,  and  occasion  our  destruction. 

A  christian  must,  therefore,  not  only  suppress  eve- 
ry motion  of  envy,  malice  and  revenge,  and  cleanse 
himself  of  all  filthiness  of  the  flesh  and  spirit,  but 
also  check  and  restrain  all  immoderate  desires  of 
wealth,  reputation,  pleasure,  and  even  of  such  en- 
tertainments and  amusements  as  are  deemed,  in  a 
certain  degree,  to  be  innocent.  He  must  habitually 
exercise  that  self-government,  which  requires  every 
appetite  and  passion  to  be  subject  to  the  laws  of  right 
reason ;  and  partake,  with  much  moderation  and 
temperance,  of  those  recreations  and  pleasures  which 
are  not  forbidden. — "  Had  this  fly,"  said  the  dervise, 
holding  in  his  hand  a  cup  of  honey  in  which  a  fly- 
had  been  drowned,  "  had  this  fly  only  tasted  of  the 
"  honey  from  the  edge  of  the  cup,  she  might  have 
i:  been  safe  ;  but,  wading  in,  she  found  destruction." 

This  duty  of  self-denial  is  the  more  necessary,  as 
there  is  such  constant  occasion  for  it's  exercise. 
Hence  one  of  the  ancient  heathen  moralists  made 
self-denial,  or,  "  bear  and  forbear,''  the  sum  of  his 
system.     Self-denied  is  a  duty  that  must  be  daily  and 


LECTURE    VI,  53 

hourly  practised.  It  is  the  ord;nary  field  of  battle, 
in  which  we  must  fight  the  good  fight  of  faith,  and 
in  which  all  our  graces  and  virtues  are  to  be  exercis- 
ed and  put  in  practice.  The  opportunities  of  show- 
ing some  of  the  more  heroic  virtues  of  patriotism, 
generosity,  magnanimity,  and  the  like  occur  but 
seldom  in  the  ordinary  course  of  human  life  ;  but  we 
have  constant  occasion  to  subdue  the  stirrings  of  pas- 
sion, t^  suppress  the  motions  of  envy,  malice,  and 
resenlment,  and  every  impure  and  inordinate  desire. 
And,  in  proportion  as  these  weeds  are  killed  in  the 
soul,  by  the  exercise  of  self-denial,  every  virtue  re- 
garding God,  our  neighbour,  or  ourselves,  will  of 
course,  grow  up  and  thrive ;  such  as,  devotion  and 
charity,  humility  and  meekness,  peace  and  purity, 
equity  and  candour.  And  whoever  is  in  the  daily 
habit  of  practising  these  more  useful  and  ordinary 
virtues,  is  surely  the  fittest  for  discharging  the  more 
rare  and  splendid  ones,  when  any  occasion  is  offer- 
ed. 

Such,  then,  is  the  utility  and  necessity  of  self-de- 
nial, even  to  an  ordinary  christian  ;  but  how  much 
more  to  a  minister  of  the  gospel  ?  We,  my  brethren, 
above  all  men,  must  be  deaf  to  the  calls  of  worldly 
ambition,  dead  to  this  life,  and  to  it's  pleasures,  even 
when  innocent ;  mortified  to  the  body,  and  to  all  it's 
lusts  and  affections.  We  must  be  temperate  in  all 
things,  as  were  those  who  strove  for  the  mastery; 
and  with  infinitely  more  reason,  considering,  that 
while  their  prize  was  a  corruptible,  ours  is  an  incor- 
ruptible crown.  We  must  use  what  is  lawful  and 
necessary  in  this  world,  as  if  we  used  it  not :  and, 
by  our  example,  teach  our  people  to  live  a  spiritual 
and  heavenly  life,  as  much  as  possible  independant 
of  this  body,  which  we  must  soon  live  without,  and 
of  this  world,  which  we  must  soon  leave  behind. 
We  must  make  no  account  of  the  difficulty,  as,  by 
our  earnest  care,  aided  by  the  grace  of  God,  it  will 


54  LECTUEjK    VI, 

soon  be  conquered.  Indeed,  when  we  subdue  the 
horse  and  the  elephant,  it  is  with  a  bad  grace  we  can 
allege,  that  over  our  own  inferior  nature  our  spirit 
cannot  have  the  same  command.  You  brin£  your 
horse  and  your  ass  to  obey  the  rem ;  is  your  own 
nature  more  perverse  and  intractable  than  theirs  ? 


i 
I 


LECTURE  VII. 


That  a  Minister  of  the  Gospel  should  be  Heavenly* 

minded. 


AFTER  mortifying  our  affections  to  this  world? 
we  must  next  raise  and  fix  them- on  another. — It  is  a 
saving-  of  the  Jewish  rabbies,  That  the  spirit  of  pro- 
phecy resides  not  with  any  man  whose  affections  are 
not  raised  above  the  world,  and  fixed  on  heaven. 
With  equal  truth  may  we  say,  that  the  Spirit  of  God 
will  not  reside  with  that  minister  of  the  gospel,  whose 
heart  is  not  raised  above  all  earthly  tilings,  whose 
soul  is  not  associated  to  angels,  and  who  is  not  chan- 
ged into  the  image  of  his  Master.  And  yet  it  must 
be  owned,  that  the  priests  of  all  religions  have,  in 
almost  all  ages,  been  accused  of  having  too  strong  a 
passion  for  the  present  world.  What  they  were  obli- 
ged to  condemn  in  their  doctrine,  they  were  accused 
of  encouraging  in  their  conduct.  Perhaps  the  charge 
was,  in  a  great  measure,  owing  to  the  conspicuous 
light  in  which  persons  of  the  sacred  order  are  placed, 
and  to  the  peculiar  deformity  with  which  this  vice 
must  appear,  when,  at  any  time,  found  in  their  cha- 
racter. It  is,  indeed,  a  feature  peculiarly  shocking 
in  a  minister  of  that  religion,  which  teaches  men  to 
turn  the  whole  bent  of  their  mind  towards  another 
world,  and  to  look  down  with  a  sovereign  contempt 
on  all  earthly  things. 

A  strong  face  to  the  world,  and  to  the  things  of  the 
world,  may  be  called  the  basest,  and  most  sordid  of 
passions.  The  minister  or  even  the  man,  in  whom  you 
discover  it,  you  may  safely  mark  down  as  one  who 
loves  neither  God  nor  man.  Neither  devotion  nor 
humanity  can  reside  in  the  same  breast  with  avarice. 
Hence  the  great  apostle  scruples  not  to  call  the  love  of 
inoney  the  root  of  all  evil:   and,  with  peculiar  ear- 


56  LECTURE    VII. 


nestness  and  vehemence,  he  entreats  the  man  of  God 
to  flee  from  it.  Astonishing,  indeed  !  that  the  man 
of  God  should  be  in  any  danger  from  such  an  enemy. 
llath  not  he  God  for  his  portion  ?  and  for  the  por- 
tion of  his  family  ?  Is  it  not  written,  The  Lord  is  the 
Levitts  portion  ?  Is  it  not  written,  Leave  thy  father- 
less children  to  me,  and  let  thy  widow  trust  in  me? 
Who  is  there  on  earth  that  has  such  a  security  against 
want,  so  strong  a  charter  for  provision,  as  he  who 
hath  thus  the  promise  of  him  to  whom  the  earth  be- 
longs and  all  its  fulness  ?  Who  is  there,  in  every  re- 
spect, so  secure  and  fortified  as  he  ?  His  defence,  in- 
deed, is  the  munition  of  rocks,  firm  as  heaven  could 
make  it.  Yet  strong  as  the  bulwark  is,  the  enemy 
hath  often,  when  it  was  not  guarded,  got  within  it's 
trenches.  He  hath  often  entered  the  sanctuary  itself, 
and  slain  the  man  of  God,  even  at  the  side  of  the 
altar. — How  then  can  we  be  secure  against  an  enemy 
that  hath  slain  his  thousands,  unless  we  cultivate 
that  heavenly  mindedness  which  will  elevate  us  above 
the  region  of  danger,  and  place  us  in  a  situation  in 
which  the  shafts  of  this  grovelling  foe  can  never  reach 
us? 

Let  us  remember,  my  brethren,  that  an  immoder 
ate  fondness  for  the  things  of  the  present  world, 
whether  discovered  in  keen  desires  of  getting  more, 
or  in  a  selfish  spending  or  hoarding  of  what  one  al- 
ready has,  is  inconsistent  with  the  character  of  a  true 
christian,  who  must  always  consider  himself  as  a  cit- 
izen of  that  country  which  puts  no  value  on  such 
things,  and  as  a  sojourner  and  stranger  upon  earth. 
But  how  much  more  is  this  cast  of  mind  inconsist- 
ent with  the  character  of  a  minister,  whose  views 
and  affections  ought  to  be  exalted  above  those  of 
other  men,  and  whose  conduct  should  always  point 
him  out  as  a  man  of  God,  and  a  denizen  of  heaven  ?* 

*  The  apostolic  canons  (Can.  iv.)  appoint  those  priests  and 


LECTURE    VII.  37 

Yes,  my  brethren,  if  all  the  rest  of  the  world  should 
mind  eart hly  things,  we  ought  to  mind  the  things 
that  are  heavenly.  We  ought  to  remember  that  we 
are  born  to  nobler  prospects  than  any  thing  which 
this  world  can  set  before  us  ;  that  we  are  engaged 
in  a  more  important  work  than  the  pursuit  of  it's 
trifles  ;  and  that  it  is  no  less  dangerous  than  unbe- 
coming to  allow  our  souls  to  be  enamoured  of  the 
things  of  earth,  of  sense,  and  of  time.  Like  the  cha- 
riot-wheel in  the  mire,  the  soul  will  move  heavily 
towards  heaven,  when  it's  affections  are  deeply  set 
upon  the  world.  For  our  faculties  are  so  circum- 
scribed and  limited,  that  we  cannot  intensely  pur- 
sue two  ends  so  remote  as  earth  and  heaven.  If  we 
attend  very  much  to  the  first,  the  world  will  believe 
that  we  pay  no  attention  at  all  to  the  last ;  as  indeed 
we  cannot  pay  it  much,  since  no  man  can  serve  two 
such  opposite  masters  as  God  and  Mammon.  If 
any  man  love  the  world,  the  love  of  the  Father  zs  not 
in  him. 

Far  be  it  from  me,  however,  to  encourage  such 
inattention  and  indifference  to  our  circumstances  as 
might  lead  us  to  any  embarrassing  or  distressful  situ- 
ation. This  would  equally  hurt  our  usefulness,  and 
be  still  more  injurious  to  our  neighbour.  Our  cir- 
cumstances too,  too  often  need  all  the  economy  in 
our  power  to  make  them  barely  supply  our  necessa- 
ry wants,  without  giving  sometimes  one  half  of 
what  we  would  wish  to  relieve  the  poor.  In  this 
too  common  and  unhappy  case,  it  is  our  business  to 
avoid  every  thing  superfluous,  or  unnecessary,  or 
expensive ;  in  all  things  to  retrench  what  we  can,  to 
give  in  the  measure  we  are  able,  but  to  take  care  to 
be  always  within  our  income,  however  small,  so  as 
never  to  owe  any  thing  to  any  man,  but  love.     Thus 

bishops  to  be  deposed  who  immerse  themseires  in  worldJy 
afiairs.     See  2  Tim.  ii.  4. 

I 


5&  LECTURE    VII. 

«i  small  matter,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  will  go  far ; 
and  a  cheerful,  contented,  and  heavenly  frame  will 
be  maintained,  in  circumstances  far  from  affluent. 
And  even  in  their  low  estate,  such  greatness  of  mind 
becomes  those  who  expect  to  be  soon  kings,  as  well 
as  priests  to  Cod.  Though  now,  like  their  master, 
their  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world,  they  may  well 
rejoice  in  the  sure  and  near  prospect  of  a  better  in 
heritance. 

Therefore,  my  brethren,  let  us,  who  not  only  ex- 
pect to  be  kings  ourselves,  but  who  offer  crowns  of 
glory  to  others,  despise  every  transitory  vanity  :  let 
us,  who  tell  others  that  the  care  of  the  soul  is  the  one 
thing  needful,  beware  of  acting,  at  any  time,  in  oppo- 
sition to  what  we  say?  and  of  making  our  practice  a 
contrast  to  our  sermons.  Otherwise,  what  occasion 
shall  we  give  to  the  wicked  to  triumph,  and  to  the 
godly  to  mourn,  on  seeing  the  gold  become  dim,  and 
the  most  fine  gold  changed  ;  on  seeing  the  sons  of 'Sion,r 
the  king's  children,  who  should  he  clothed  in  scarlet* 
embrace  the  dunghill  9 

God  forbid,  my  brethren,  that  any  of  us  should 
thus  give  the  preference  to  the  present  world.  Could 
Moses,  when  permitted  to  contemplate  the  effulgence 
of  the  divine  glory  on  the  mount,  prefer  to  fix  his 
eye  on  the  gold  with  which  the  children  of  Israel 
corrupted  themselves  on  the  plain  ?  Or  could  the 
three  disciples,  amid  the  splendours  of  the  transfigu- 
ration, and  in  the  presence  of  Christ,  of  Moses,  and 
of  Elias,  prefer  any  wordly  joy  to  that  glorious  vi- 
sion ?  It  is  not  possible.  And  shall  we,  who,  like 
them,  are  admitted  to  the  honour  of  enjoying  the 
most  exalted  and  refined  pleasure  which  results  from 
the  fellowship  and  communion  of  our  God,  allow 
our  affections  to  fix  on  gross  and  earthly  objects'? 
fthall  we  not  rather,  from  the  eminence  on  which  we 
stand,  look  down  with  contempt  on  the  insignificant 
trifles  which  occupy  the  thoughts  of  wordly  meu  ; 


LECTURE    VU.  W 

and  view  the  world  itself  as  only  the  transient  abode 
of  still  more  transient  beings  ?  Instead  of  loving  it, 
shall  we  not  felicitate  ourselves  with  the  prospect  of 
our  being  so  soon  to  leave  it,  and  anticipate  the  ever- 
lasting glory  to  which  we  shall  be  raised  above  it? 
In  this  world,  then,  my  brethren,  having  thus  so 
high  and  so  near  a  prospect  in  another,  seek  ye  greed 
things  for  yourselves?  Seek  them  not*.  "Leave  all,5' 
says  Augustin,  "  and  you  shall  find  all  :  For  every 
t:  thing  is  to  be  found  in  God,  by  him  who,  for  the 
*  sake  of  God,  despiseth  every  thing." 

"  Since  you  pretend  to  so  reputable  a  character," 
said  Socrates  to  a  man  of  Athens,  "  and  since  you 
"  are  a  denizen  of  the  most  famous  city  in  the  world, 
"  are  you  not  ashamed  to  make  it  your  business  to 
A  acquire  riches,  or  renown,  or  power,  and,  at  the 
"  same  time,  slight  the  treasures  of  truth  and  wis- 
ft  dom,  and  neglect  to  improve  your  soul  to  the  high- 
"  est  perfection  of  which  it  is  capable  ?" 

Had  Socrates  been  acquainted  with  the  character 
which  we  bear,  and  the  city  to  which  we  belong, 
how  should  he  address  us  ?  "  Ye  men  of  God,"  he 
might  say,  "  and  ambassadors  of  the  most  high, 
"  (for  such,  ye  say,  ye  are),  what  sordid  trifles  must 
"  all  that  mortals  admire  appear  to  persons  of  your 
a  divine  and  august  character !  Ye  disciples  of  the 
"  Son  of  God,  what  holiness  becomes  your  profes  • 
"sion!  Ye  heirs  of  the  unspeakable  glory  of  hea- 
u  ven,  what  dross  and  dung  must  ye  count  the  earth, 
4*  and  all  that  it  contains  !  Surely  you  would  be  a- 
a  shamed  to  covet  more  of  this  world  than  food  and 
"  raiment ;  that  is,  the  bare  necessary  accommoda- 
u  tion  of  your  transient  passage.  Solely  intent  upon 
"  the  business  of  your  heavenly  calling,  your  ambi- 
•*'  tion,  no  doubt,  centres  all  in  heaven.  If  you  can- 
u  not  make  the  world  wise,  you  at  least  spend  your 

*  Jer.  xlv.  5, 


bd  LECTURE   VII. 

u  lives  in  attempting  it ;  and,  if  you  can  do  no  more; 
"you  surely  raise  your  own  souls  to  a  pitch  of  heav- 
"  enly-mindedness,  of  which  blinded  mortals  have 
Ct  hardly  any  conception." 

So  should  any  one  imagine,  who  would  form  his 
ideas  of  the  elevation  of  our  souls  from  the  nature  of 
our  holy  office  and  profession.  And  with  much  rea- 
son ;  for  what  a  glorious  advantage  does  our  office 
give  us  for  excelling  all  others  in  heavenly-minded- 
ness  !  Our  life  is  devoted  to  the  contemplation  of 
God  and  heaven  ;  to  the  preaching  of  Christ  and  his 
salvation.  Others  are  glad  of  the  leisure  of  the  Sab- 
bath, and  some  other  small  portions  of  time  snatched 
from  their  daily  business  ;  but  our  whole  life  is  a 
Sabbath,  in  which  we  have  almost  nothing  to  do, 
but  to  think  and  to  speak  of  God  and  of  heaven. 
What  a  blessed  life  is  ours,  if  we  have  that  elevatio2i 
of  soul,  and  that  heavenly  frame  of  mind,  which 
suits  it ! 

And  if  we,  my  brethren,  wish  to  attain  to  this  ele- 
vation of  mind,  this  divine  temper,  we  must  labour 
to  impress  our  hearts  with  a  strong  conviction,  that 
all  those  things  which  the  men  of  the  world  love  and 
pursue  so  keenly,  have  in  them  no  power  of  confer- 
ring any  real  or  lasting  felicity.  To  feed,  clothe,  and 
lodge  a  dying  body,  for  a  few  years,  is  the  full  a- 
mount  of  them.  And  surely  this  is  rather  the  felici- 
ty of  a  brute,  than  of  a  rational,  immaterial,  and 
immortal  essence,  such  as  the  human  soul,  whether 
in  the  body  or  out  of  it ;  for  this  alone  is  the  man. 

We  must  therefore  accustom  ourse;ves  to  think, 
that  the  true  happiness  of  this  true  man,  in  the  life 
that  now  is,  as  well  as  in  that  which  is  to  come,  even 
through  all  the  revolutions  of  eternity,  consists  in 
humility,  purity,  charity,  and  piety ;  in  the  consci- 
ousness of  possessing,  and  in  the  joy  of  exercising, 
these  and  the  like  virtues  ;  in  the  present  sens  of  the 
divine  favour,  and  in  the  ravishing  hope  of  enjoying 


LECTURE    VH.  61 

that  favour  for  ever  and  ever.  We  must;  frequently 
raise  our  souls  to  the  contemplation  and  almost  vi- 
sion of  God,  and  call  forth  all  their  powers  to  the 
imitation  of  those  moral  attributes  which  constitute 
his  chiefest  glory  and  excellence,  till  we  perceive  our 
natures  assimilated  to  his  ;  till  we  feel  our  spirits  re- 
joice with  hope,  and  long  with  desire,  to  be  eternally 
and  inseparably  with  him.  It  is  this  sacred  feeling, 
this  unspeakable;  joy,  that  will  effectually  convince 
us,  that  all  other  things  that  can  possibly  engage  the 
cares,  the  hopes,  and  the  fears  of  mortals,  are  no- 
thing but  emptiness  and  delusion,  vanity  and  vexa- 
tion of  spirit.  They  are  like  those  dreams  which  a~ 
muse  at  midnight  the  unhappy  wretch  who  is  doom- 
ed to  suffer  in  the  morning.  It  is  this  deep,  strong, 
and  abiding  conviction  of  the  emptiness  and  delusion 
of  those  things  that  court  the  outward  senses,  and  of 
the  superlative  and  unspeakable  value  of  unseen  and 
everlasting  things,  that  must  elevate  our  souls  above 
every  mean  and  sordid  purpose  and  pursuit,  and  in- 
spire them  with  ardour  and  perseverance  to  attain 
those  habits  of  holiness  and  virtue,  which  alone  can 
make  us  truly  and  eternally  happy. 

The  busy  mind  of  man  must  always  have  some- 
thing to  engage  it's  attention  ;  and  if  we,  who  are  the 
guides  of  mankind,  cannot  convince  them  that  this 
something  ought  to  be  the  chief  good,  let  us  at  least 
show  them  that  we  are  perfectly  convinced  of  this 
truth  ourselves.  While  we  direct  them  to  fix  their 
ambition  on  the  things  that  are  heavenly,  let  >ur 
own  be  disengaged  from  the  things  that  are  earthly, 
and  our  affections  visibly  and  strongly  placed  on  the 
things  that  arc  above.  While  we  preach  to  them, 
that  the  riches,  honour,  and  glory  of  this  world  are 
empty  and  evanescent  things,  and  that  the  love,  the 
favour,  and  the  friendship  of  God,  and  the  imitation 
of  his  moral  excellence,  are  the  only  satisfying  jovs, 
the  only  true  and  durable  happiness,  let  our  condict 


02  LECTURE   VII. 

show  them  that  we  speak  from  feeling  and  eonvic '* 
tion,  and  that  our  souls  find  a  peace,  joy,  and  felici- 
ty unspeakable,  in  those  spiritual,  heavenly,  and 
eternal  objects,  which  we  recommend  so  warmly  to 
their  care  and  attention.  It  is  incredible  what  weight 
this  elevation  of  soul  and  sanctity  of  conduct  would 
give  to  our  discourses,  and  how  much  it  would  in- 
crease their  influence  on  mankind.  When  we  tell 
them,  that  to  know,  love,  imitate,  and  enjoy  God, 
is  the  chief  and  only  felicity  of  man,  for  time  and 
for  eternity,  if  we  confirm  what  we  say  by  our  own 
example,  it  will  strike  with  a  force  that  is  almost  ir- 
resistible, and  will  effectually  convince  and  persuade 
our  hearers.  To  this  heavenly-mindcdness,  under 
the  grace  of  God,  it  was  owing,  that  the  first  preach- 
ers of  Christianity  made  such  noble  conquests. 
They  were  crucified  to  the  world,  and  the  world  to 
them,  and  all  the  impetus  of  the  soul  was  directed  to 
a  single  object.  When  this  is  the  case,  man  can  yet 
do  wonders ;  especially  in  that  work  in  which  Om- 
nipotence is  engaged  to  help  him. 

Let  us  then  acquaint  ourselves  more  and  more 
with  God,  and  seek  our  felicity  and  joy  in  the  con- 
templation, love,  and  adoration  of  his  glorious  per- 
fections ;  in  meditating  on  his  word,  trusting  in  his 
providence,  relying  on  his  promises,  and  imitating  his 
moral  attributes.  And,  believe  it,  my  brethren,  our 
happiness  will  be  always  growing  in  proportion  to 
the  progress  which  we  make  in  this  heavenly  study ; 
insomuch,  that  even  in  the  present  world,  we  may 
arrive  at  a  degree  of  joy  as  far  above  what  we  yet 
feel  or  conceive,  as  the  impressions  made  upon  us  by 
objects,  when  awake,  exceed  the  faint  representation 
which  they  make  on  our  fancy  when  asleep  ;  that 
is,  as  much  as  the  presence  of  our  dearest  friend  ex- 
ceeds the  indistinct  idea  left  of  him  by  a  dream  at 
night. 


LECTURE    Vli:  63 

And  is  it  possible,  my  brethren,  that  we  have  in 
us  a  capacity  of  climbing  nearer  the  throne  of  God, 
than  we  almost  ever  do  in  the  present  life,  and  shall 
we  not  have  the  ambition  to  attempt  it  ?  Shall  we 
not  make  every  effort  to  break  the  charm  that  binds 
our  infatuated  soul  to  it's  dark  and  earthly  mansion, 
and  mount  on  the  wings  of  joy  and  desire  towards 
heaven  ?  Shall  not  the  power  of  the  gospel,  which 
we  preach  to  others,  be  more  manifest  in  our  own 
life  and  conversation,  so  as  to  make  us  live  by  faith 
and  not  by  sense,  and  fix  our  souls  immoveably  on 
the  pursuit  of  holiness,  on  the  contemplation  of  God, 
and  on  the  joys  of  Paradise  ?  The  unspeakable  joy 
which  this  exercise  would  raise  in  us,  would,  on 
earth,  be  a  foretaste  of  heaven  ;  and  the  ravishing 
hope  it  would  create  in  us,  of  being  soon  raised  to 
the  glory  which  we  now  long  and  look  for,  would 
make  this  world  and  all  it's  glory  vanish  ;  so  as  to 
have  no  temptation  to  draw  our  thoughts  from  the 
object  of  our  felicity.  And  the  more  we  contem- 
plate God,  the  more  we  are  transformed  to  his  like- 
ness ;  insomuch,  that,  on  earth,  we  go  on  wTith  the 
progressive  glory  and  joy  of  heaven.  For  what  is 
the  glory  and  joy  of  heaven,  but  the  uninterrupted 
contemplation,  and  unceasing  imitation  of  God,  the 
source  of  all  blessedness  and  perfection  ?  And  shall 
we  not  have  as  much  as  possible  of  this  glory  and 
joy  even  now  ;  and,  in  the  hope  of  having  more  of 
it  in  his  presence  hereafter,  purify  ourselves,  even  as 
he  is  pure? — It  is,  indeed,  astonishing,  that  we, 
whose  business  it  is  to  meditate  on  these  things  our- 
selves, and  to  urge  them  on  others,  are  not  more 
firmly  established  in  the  practical  belief  of  the  delu* 
sive  vanity  and  emptiness  of  this  world,  whose  fa- 
shion passeth  away,  and  whose  dazzling  glories  are 
but  flying  shadows.  It  is  astonishing  that  our  souls 
are  not  raised  above  it,  and  for  ever  fixed  on  the 
joyful  contemplation  of  (lod,  and  on  the  glorious 


64  Lecture  vii. 

hope  of  being  soon  eternally  and  inseparably  with 
him,  in  the  abodes  of  knowledge,  holiness,  and  hap- 
piness, with  all  the  society  of  blessed  and  immortal 
spirits.  That  men  of  our  profession,  occupation,  and 
prospect,  should  almost  think  or  speak  of  any  thing 
else,  and  much  less  seek  any  great  things  for  our- 
selves in  the  present  life,  is,  when  the  matter  is  du- 
ly weighed,  abundantly  astonishing.  But  that  we 
should  not  only  think  and  speak,  but  often  act,  like 
those  who  have  their  portion  in  this  world  only,  is 
a  mournful  as  well  as  an  astonishing  consideration*. 

What  should  we,  therefore,  do,  my  brethren,  but 
endeavour,  by  retirement,  meditation,  and  prayer, 
to  fix  our  hearts  more  on  God,  and  on  the  superla- 
tive glory  of  spiritual  and  eternal  things  ;  till  we  feel 
stronger  impressions  of  their  worth,  and  are  more 
convinced  of  their  reality  and  nearness.  Then  the 
joy  and  happiness  arising  from  the  contemplation  of 
God,  and  the  glory  of  his  kingdom,  will  make  these 
themes  alone  delightful,  and  give  them  a  decided 
preference  in  our  estimation.  Then,  elevated  above 
the  trifles  of  time,  our  thoughts  will  be  engrossed 
with  the  eternity  which  we  preach,  and  we  snail 
scorn  the  groveling  pursuits  of  earth  ourselves  when 
we  recommend  heaven  to  others.  Then,  having 
chosen  God  for  our  only  portion,  we  shall  delight 
ourselves  in  his  favour,  and  love  him,  when  we 
know  him,  with  all  the  affections  of  our  soul.  And, 
having  attained  to  this  love,  it  will  extinguish  the 
immoderate  love  of  all  inferior  things,  as'  the  intense 
beams  of  the  sun  extinguish  fire. 

*  See  Prin.  Leechman'*  Syn.  Serm. 


LECTURE  VIII. 

That  a  Minister  of  the  Gospel  should  be  Heavenly  in 
his  Conversation. 

OF  all  the  creatures  under  heaven,  man  is  the  on- 
ly one  that  has  religion,  and  the  only  one  that  has 
speech.  A  plain  intimation  that  the  latter  was  meant 
to  he  subservient  to  the  former,  and  that  the  creature 
endowed  with  both  was  designed  to  be  the  priest  of 
the  creation,  who  should  offer  up,  in  the  name  of 
all,  that  tribute  of  praise  and  homage  which  is 
so  due  to  the  great  Creator.  Distinguished  by  rea- 
son, by  religion,  and  by  speech,  it  was  intended 
that  he  should  employ  these  talents  in  the  contem- 
plation and  praise  of  the  divine  perfections ;  in  cele- 
brating the  wonders  of  creation,  the  equity  of  God's 
o'overnment,  the  goodness  of  his  laws,  the  manifest  - 
ations  of  his  love,  especially  in  the  redemption  of 
mankind  by  his  Son,  and  the  honour  and  happiness 
of  being  devoted  to  his  service.  But  if  this  should  be 
the  occupation  of  men,  how  much  more  of  ministers, 
who  are  peculiarly  consecrated  to  the  service  of  God 
and  of  religion  ;  and  who,  as  the  salt  of  the  caHh, 
ought  to  season  every  company  of  which  they  make 
a  part. 

Yes,  my  brethren,  every  minister  ought  to  lay 
out  all  his  faculties  in  doing  good  to  his  people  ;  and, 
for  this  purpose,  he  ought  particularly  to  take  heed 
to  his  conversation.  If  every  idle  word  which  or- 
dinary christians  speak,  they  have  an  account  to  give 
at  the  day  of  judgment,  how  wise,  how  holy,  how- 
heavenly  should  be  the  conversation  of  a  minister  of 
the  gospel,  of  a  servant  of  Jesus,  of  him  whom  God 
hath  sent  with  his  word  in  his  mouth,  in  order  to 
plant  (and,  as  it  were,  by  a  kind  of  creation  and 
fellmv-xvorking  with  himself,  to  add  to  the  inhabi- 

K 


66  LECTURE   Vltf.     » 

tants  of)  the  heavens}  Shall  those  hallowed  lip?; 
which  one  while  deliver  the  most  important  truths, 
in  the  name  of  God,  and  in  the  room  of  Christ,  at 
Other  times  defile  themselves  with  vain  words  and 
trifling  discourses  ?  Shall  the  same  fountain  cast 
forth  sweet  and  bitter  waters  ?  Accustomed  to  the 
songs  of  angels,  what  relish  can  they  find  for  those 
levities,  to  say  the  best  of  them,  which  often  find 
place  in  the  mouths  of  the  children  of  men  ?  What 
an  incongruity  would  this  be  in  an  ambassador  sent 
from  God  *  ? 

Our  conversation,  my  brethren,  should  always  be 
marked  with  a  peculiar  character  of  gravity,  modes- 
ty, and  piety.  By  this  we  should  show  that  we  are 
the  men  of  God  upon  earth,  and  a  different  class  from 
the  generality  of  mankind.  The  mouth  of  a  mini- 
ster of  the  gospel,  to  use  the  language  of  holy  writ, 
should  be  a  sharp  sword,  and  his  words  polished 
shafts,  used  on  all  occasions  in  the  service  of  his 
Master,  and  never  allowed  to  contract  any  rust  by 
being  seldom  employed.  What  then  shall  we  say 
of  those  ministers  who  have  seldom  any  thing  seri- 
ous, edifying,  or  heavenly,  in  their  ordinary  con- 
versation ?  Ah !  what  irrecoverable  opportunities 
do  they  let  go  ;  what  precious  moments  do  they  lose 
in  trifling !  How  do  they  know  but  one  well-timed 
word  might  be  blessed  as  the  mean  of  saving  a  soul  ? 
A  word  in  season ,  how  good  is  it !  How  do  they 
know  but  their  private  labours  might  be  more  use- 
ful than  their  public  discourses  ?  Their  public  dis- 
courses may  never  be  heard  by  those  who  most  need 
them  ;  but  who,  from  ignorance,  indolence,  or  pro- 
faneness,  may  not  come  to  hear  them.  And,  if  they 
should,  they  may  not  apply  them  to  themselves  ;  or. 
at  least,  may  not  be  out  of  the  need  of  having  them 

*  Kovgb  sortis  oportet  ilium  esse,  qui,  Deo  jub.ente,  ca- 
ait.— Seneca, 


LECTURE   VIII.  67 

enforced  by  considerations  peculiar  to  themselves, 
and  very  improper,  perhaps,  to  be  urged  in  public. 
Speaking  to  them  privately,  separately,  and  suitably 
to  their  various  circumstances  and  conditions  in  life, 
may  produce  happier  effects  than  either  they  or  h$ 
could  look  for. 

In  our  public  ministrations,  my  brethren,  men 
may  come  to  hear  us  on  their  guard.  But,  in  fa 
miliar  discourse,  this  guard  is  thrown  off;  the  har- 
ness is,  as  it  were,  drawn  aside,  and  the  access  to 
the  heart  is  open.  Sermons  arp  addressed  to  multi- 
tudes, and  cannot  always  be  made  to  suit  the  particu- 
lar case  of  every  hearer.  Besides,  they  want  that, 
life  and  energy,  that  address  and  insinuation,  which 
always  attend  a  private  conference.  Hence,  we 
find  our  Saviour  himself  making  converts  much 
oftener  by  his  private  conversation  than  by  his  pub- 
lic teaching,  though  he  spake  as  never  man  did.  And 
such  of  his  ministers  as  imitate  his  example,  will  be 
found  to  do  more  good  in  this  way,  perhaps  in  a  few 
minutes,  than  by  the  labours  of  whole  days  in  the 
pulpit.  "  Thou  hast  done  more  harm,"  said  once  a 
Lord  Chancellor  of  England  to  a  faithful  minister, 
"  thou  hast  done  more  harm  by  thy  private  exhor- 
"  tations  in  prison,  than  thou  didst  by  thy  preaching 
**  before  thou  wast  put  in," 

Thus,  my  brethren,  should  we  embrace  every  op- 
portunity, in  private  as  well  as  in  public,  of  giving 
conversation  a  religious  and  heavenly  turn  ;  and  of 
leading  men  insensibly,  and  ere  they  are  aware,  to 
holiness  and  virtue.  And  whether  the  world  call 
this  in  season,  or,  out  of  season,  we  thereby  appro  ve 
ourselves  to  God  and  conscience.  Nay,  even  those 
fools  who  may  in  words  condemn  us  on  this  account, 
must  in  their  heart  esteem  us,  and  confess  that  we 
act  with  propriety.  For  this  tribute  vice  must  for 
ever  pay  to  virtue. 


08  LECTURE   VIII, 

All  our  conversation,  my  brethren,  ought  to  aim 
at  the  g]ory  of  God  and  the  good  of  souls.     For  this, 
purpose,  is  it  not  necessary  to  make  any  display 
of  knowledge  or  learning  ?     No  ;  to  make  men  know 
practically  and  spiritually  those  things  which  in  theo- 
ry, perhaps,  they  know  already  ;  to  make  those  no- 
tions that  float  in  the  head  sink  into  the  heart,  and 
influence  the  conduct ;  to  kindle  in  the  soul  the  love 
of  holiness  and  virtue  ;  to  stir  up  the  affections  to 
the  love  of  God  and  man  ;  to  call  home  the  thoughts 
to  the  consideration  of  our  present  and  future  state, 
and   other  eternal  and  important  truths,  so   as  to 
discover  a  new  sweetness  and  use  in  things   with 
which  we  are  already  acquainted, — these,  and  the 
like,  are  the  great  objects  which,  in  our  conversa- 
tion, we  ought  always  to  have  in  view.     And  did 
christians  in  general,  and  we  in  particular,  attend  to 
our  character  and  hope,  our  thoughts  would  surely 
be  much  more  occupied  in  the  contemplation  of  our 
blessed  immortality  and  home  in  heaven,  and  in 
comforting  and  encouraging  oner  another  to  submit 
cheerfully  to  the  inconvenience  of  the  way,  to  over* 
look  the  intervening  moment,  and  to  fix  our  eye 
immoveably  on  those  glories  at  which,  in  a  short 
time,  we  expect  to  arrive. 

Such  subjects  of  conversation  are  flowers  which 
afford  sweets  that  can  never  be  exhausted.  But,  in 
extracting  them,  we  must  avoid  every  thing  that  may 
appear  stiff,  formal,  or  severe,  in  our  manner.  Our 
speech  and  carriage  should  be  meek  and  modest,  as- 
well  as  grave ;  and  our  behaviour  always  engaging 
and  affable. — "  His  piety  "  says  the  biographer  of  a 
late  pastor*,  "though  awfully  strict,  was  inexpres- 
sibly amiable.  It  diffused  such  a  sweetness  through 
<c  his  temper,  and  such  benevolence  over  his  coun- 
"  tenance,  as  none  who  knew  him  can  ever  forget. 

#  Bishop  Benson, 


LECTURE   VIII.  69 

••'  — He  looked  upon  all  that  the  world  calls  impor- 
*;  tant,  it's  pleasures,  it's  riches,  it's  various  compcti- 
ft  fcions,  with  a  playful  and  good-natured  kind  of 
*  contempt,  and  could  make  persons  ashamed  of 
"  their  follies  by  a  raillery  that  never  gave  pain  to 
*'  any  human  being.  Of  vice  lie  always  spoke  with 
u  severity  and  detestation,  but  looked  on  the  vicious 
a  with  the  tenderness  of  a  pitying  angel.  Wherever 
Ct  he  went,  he  carried  cheerfulness  and  improvement 
"along  with  him." 

Cheerfulness,  my  brethren,  becomes  us  too ;  for 
when  our  eye,  like  Stephen's,  is  stedfastly  fixed  on 
the  glory  of  heaven,  our  face,  like  his,  may  well 
shine  as  that  of  an  angel.  "  Serve  God,  and  be  cheer 
ful*,"  and  you  act  most  agreeably  to  the  genius  of 
our  holy  religion .  Cheerfulness  disposes  the  mind 
to  the  noblest  acts  of  religion,  to  the  love,  adoration, 
and  praise  of  God,  to  complacency  in  his  govern- 
ment, and  trust  in  his  promises.  On  the  other  hand, 
these,  and  all  the  other  acts  of  devotion,  reciprocal- 
ly dispose  the  soul  to  cheerfulness,  and  joyful  sereni- 
ty. To  contemplate  the  perfections  of  God,  and  the 
glorious  display  of  them  in  his  works,  of  creation, 
providence,  and  redemption  ;  to  love  him,  serve  him. 
praise  him,  trust,  and  rejoice  in  him ;  these  are  sure- 
ly the  most  delightful  exercises  of  the  soul  ;  and,  the 
more  that  any  one  abounds  in  them,  the  more  he 
anticipates  the  joy  of  heaven. 

Of  all  the  men  in  the  world,  then,  cheerfulness 
both  in  countenance  and  conversation,  best  becomes 
us,  if  we  live  up  to  our  profession  and  character. 
Mirth,  however,  belongs  almost  altogether  to  others. 
"  It  is  not  the  part  of  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  at  any 
*;  time,  to  excel  in  farce  and  comedy.  Leave  it  to 
"  jesters  and  buffoons  to  spread  the  laugh,  and  set 
"  the  table  in  a  roar."    That  joy,  which  is  the  fruit 

*  The  motto  of  a  late  bishop. 


TO  LECTURE   VIII. 

of  the  spirit,  and  which  not  only  becomes,  but  is  en- 
joined on  us,  is  of  a  different  cast,  and  of  a  higher 
kind.  It  is  calm,  cheerful,  and  serene,  as  the  up- 
per regions  of  heaven ;  and  is  as  different  from  mirth 
as  wisdom  is  from  folly.  Foolish  talking  and  jest- 
ing*, to  us,  above  all  men,  are  not  convenient :  to 
us  who  should  know  best,  and  always  remember, 
that  for  every  idle  word  which  men  speak  thet/  shall 
give  an  account  at  the  day  of  judgment,  and  receive 
a  recompence  suitable  to  it's  tendency ;  to  us,  "  whose 
•"  office  must  frequently  present  to  our  thoughts  the 
"  afflictions  of  this  mortal  state,  the  holiness  of  God's 
"  law,  our  own  grievous  imperfections-,  the  deplo- 
"  rable  sins  of  many  others,  and  the  final  sentence 
"  which  awaits  us  allf.,? 

With  an  office  so  serious,  and  a  character  so  sa- 
cred as  ours,  my  brethren,  levity  and  mirth  but  ill 
accord.  To  endeavour  to  make  religion  agreeable, 
is  proper,  but  to  make  ourselves  agreeable,  by  help- 
ing Our  company  to  forget  religion,  is  exceedingly 
faulty.  The  bulk  of  mankind,  indeed,  expect, 
whatever  they  do  themselves,  that  we  should  act 
consistently  with  our  character,  and  retain  always, 
hi  our  conversation  and  countenance,  such  sacred 
gravity  and  such  cheerful  and  modest  meekness,  as 
may  procure  respect  to  religion,  even  from  those 
who  do  not  love  it.  And,  if  we  cannot  thus  main 
tain  the  dignity  of  our  character  and  the  credit  of 
religion,  wherever  we  are,  then  our  solemn  and  sud- 
den silence,  our  abrupt  departure,  or  reluctant  re 
proof,  as  prudence  may  direct,  should  mark  our  in- 
dignant sense  of  what  is  going  on.  To  listen  to  any 
thing  immoral,  without  shewing  that  we  are  dis- 
pleased, in  us  is  to  be  prophane.     To  give  the  sane 

*  Aristotle  places   this  among  his  half-virtues  ;  but  the 
gospel,  a  nobler  system,  gives  no  room  at  all  to  it. 
f  Secke$, 


LECTURE   VlII.  71 

lion  of  our  presence  to  vice,  without  any  symtom 
of  disapprobation,  were  to  betray  our  trust  to  God. 
For,  in  this  sense,  he  who  is  not  with  him  is  against 
him.  In  mixing  with  our  people,  therefore,  we 
should  be^their  models,  and  not  their  companions  or 
imitators.  We  are  at  the  head  of  our  llocks,  and 
ought  to  be  their  guides.  But  if  any  of  them  be  of 
such  a  cast  as  not  to  permit  this,  we  ought  not  to 
mix  with  them  at  all ;  but  to  separate  ourselves  from 
so  untoward  a  generation.  In  so  unhappy  a  case  as- 
this,  "  our  visits  to  sinners/7  as  one  of  the  fathers 
observes,  "  ought  to  be  as  rare  as  were  the  appear- 
"  ances  of  angels  to  the  saints  of  old."  Any  intima- 
cy, indeed,  which  we  may  have  with  the  irreligious 
or  prophane,  beyond  what  common  civility  requires, 
or  the  prospect  of  reforming  them  allows,  is  at  the 
expence  of  our  character,  and,  I  may  add,  of  our 
piety  too.  Besides,  our  conduct  will  offend  the  weak, 
and  excite  the  contempt  or  indignation  of  the  wise 
and  good,  so  that  we  cannot  be  useful  to  either. 

In  all  the  intercourse  which  we  may  have  with 
our  people,  we  should  be  careful  to  interfere  as  little 
as  possible  with  their  worldly  affairs.  "  For  a  priest 
"  to  become  a  judge,"  says  Plato,  "  would  be  to  de- 
"  file  himself,  and  to  derogate  from  his  character." 
To  lay  hold  of  every  opportunity  of  disposing  all 
men  to  a  mutual  good  opinion  and  good  will,  is  in- 
deed our  duty.  But  any  thing  further  will  in  all 
likelihood  draw  upon  us  the  hatred  of  one  party, 
and  the  common  imputation  of  being  meddling.  The 
office  of  umpire,  in  settling  differences,  was  declined 
by  our  Lord  himself;  and  his  example  ought,  in 
every  thing,  to  be  a  law  to  us.  Who,  as  he  said  of 
himself,  hath  made  us  lawgivers  or  judges  ?  Our 
own  province  is  enough  for  us.  If  ever  we  are  led 
beyond  it,  it  should  be  only  to  plead  and  support 
the  cause  of  the  poor,  the  fatherless,  and  the  widow. 
To  turn  the  attention  of  our  people,  as  much  as  we 


H  LECTURE   Vlir.. 

can,  to  the  one  thing  needful,  is  our  great  concern, 
For  this  purpose,  we  should  study  their  different  cha- 
racters, and  be  well  acquainted  with  passages  of  scrip- 
ture suited  to  the  various  ages,  relations,  and  cir- 
cumstances of  life ;  so  as  to  have  a  word  in  season 
for  persons  of  every  denomination  ;  and  something 
suitable  to  say  to  every  one  of  our  people,  with 
whom  we  have  an  opportunity  of  meeting  or  hold 
ing  any  conversation.  In  the  happy  skill  of  making 
a  dextrous  use  of  every  such  opportunity,  consists 
much  of  -that  aptness  to  teach,  which  the  apostle  sets- 
down  as  one  of  the  qualifications  of  every  good  and 
faithful  pastor. 

We  are  seldom  aware  how  much  good  or  evil 
there  may  be  in  our  ordinary  conversation.  It  is 
generally  a  savour  of  life  or  death  to  our  people. 
When  we  preach,  we  only  do  what  all  clergymen, 
whether  good  or  bad,  are  bound  to  do ;  and  there- 
fore we  may  be  considered  by  many  as  only  going 
through  a  piece  of  form.  But  if  our  conversation, 
like  our  preaching,  be  good  for  the  use  of  edifying, 
and  minister  grace  to  the  hearers,  it  will  yield  it's  fruit 
unto  holiness,  and  awaken  souls  to  a  sense  of  piety 
and  religion.  For  it  is  by  our  life  and  ordinary  dis- 
course, and  not  by  our  sermons,  that  men  will  judge 
of  us.  And  as  we  are  consecrated  to  God  and  reli- 
gion, as  much,  at  least,  as  the  churches  and  altars  at 
which  we  serve,  idle  and  ordinary  discourse  would 
profane  us,  as  much  as  churches  and  altars  would  be 
profaned,  if  applied  to  ordinary  uses  ;  and  then  what 
could  we  expect  but  that  the  spirit  of  God  should  be 
grieved*,  and  leave  our  temple  desolate.  Let  uss 
therefore,  look  well  to  ourselves,  and  see  that  our  con 


*  See  Eph.  iv.  £9,  SO.  Where,  it  is  clear,  that,  by  the 
conversation  that  does  not  edify,  and  does  not  minister 
grace  to  the  hearers,  we  grieve  the  lloly  Spirit. 


LECTURE   Vin.  ?3 

versation,  as  well  as  our  sermons,  may  always  tend 
io  edify. 

The  children*  especially,  demand  our  particular  no- 
tice ;  and  to  edify  them  should  be  one  great  end  of 
our  conversation.     To  children  the  great  Shepherd 
of  the  sheep  himself  paid  the  utmost  regard,  and,  in 
ihe,most  endearing  manner,  recommended  them  to» 
us.    Peed  my  lambs.     A  matter  that  was  marked  with 
such  importance  by  our  Lord,  may  well  demand  our 
attention.     Yes,  my   brethren,   the   nurture  of  the 
young  is  a  sacred  charge,  of  which  God  will  one  day 
require   an  account.        Children  are  tender  planfs, 
which  the  great  Master  of  the  vineyard  hath  particu- 
larly enjoined  us  to  cultivate  ;  and  which  we  should, 
therefore,  endeavour,  with  all  possible  care,  to  rear. 
Childhood  and  early  youth  alone  arc  the  proper  sea 
son  of  instruction,  for  those  especially  of  the  lower 
class,  who  make  the  bulk  of  mankind.     Once  they 
are  advanced  in  years,  the  toils  and  cares  of  life  leave 
them  no  leisure  for  improvement  in  knowledge ;  and, 
with  respect  to  those  m  more  opulent  circumstances, 
they  will  not  then  submit  to  our  teaching.     At  any 
rate,  religious  impressions  never  take  such  a  strong- 
hold of  the  mind  as  when  they  are  made  in  the  car^ 
lier  years  of  life.     The  habits  acquired  in  that  period, 
be  they  virtuous  or  vicious,  are  most  likely  to  adhere 
to  us  till  death,  and  to  follow  us  to  eternity.     Hence, 
the  urgent  necessity  of  every  possible  care  to  instil 
good  principles  early  into  the  minds  of  children*.  And 
the  necessity  upon  us  is  by  so  much  the  greater  as  pa- 
rents are  the  more  negligent.  Ah !  poor  lambs  !  capa- 
ble of  becoming  angels,  what  must  become  of  you,  if 
both  parents  and  pastors  neglect  their  duty  ?  If  they 
do  not  train  you  up  in  the  way  in  which  you  should  <rb9 
how  can  they  expect  that,  when  you  are  old,  you 
will  find  it  ? 

*  Quo  semel  est  in\buta  recens,  servnbit  »dorem 
Tcfjfra  dm.  Hor-acf. 


74  LECTURE   VIII, 

We,  therefore,  my  brethren,  must  improve  th£ 
seed-time,  otherwise  we  lose  the  hope  of  the  harvest. 
On  our  diligence  in  this  depends,  not  only  the  success' 
of  our  own  ministry,  but  that  of  our  successors  hi 
other  generations.  If,  after  baptising  children  into 
the  faith,  we  then  neglect  them,  we  act  the  part  of 
that  barbarous  parent,  who  instead  of  nourishing  the 
child  that  is  born  to  him,  cruelly  exposes  him  in  the 
waste  and  howling  'wilderness.  Nay,  in  as  much  as 
the  soul  excels  the  body,  our  cruelty  exceeds  that  of 
such  a  monster,  if  we  neglect  this  part  of  the  trust  re- 
posed in  us. 

If  we  neglect  to  train  the  children  properly  at  firsts 
no  future  care  can  atone  for  such  a  crime.  How 
can  you  build  the  house  of  which  you  never  laid  the 
foundation  ?  Take  no  timely  precaution  against  the 
contagion  to  which  youth  is  exposed,  and  no  future 
£are  will  cure  the  malady.  Once  they  are  grown 
men,  they  will  never  submit  again  to  become  chil- 
dren. So  sensible  of  this  were  the  wise  Lacedemo- 
nians, that,  when  they  were  required  to  give  fifty 
children  as  hostages,  they  chose  rather  to  give  fifty 
of  the  most  eminent  men  in  the  state,  whose  princi- 
ples were  already  formed,  than  children,  to  whom 
the  want  of  early  instruction  would  be  a  loss  altoge- 
ther irreparable.  It  would  be,  according  to  the  beau  - 
iiful  expression  of  Pcrielesr  like  cutting  off  the  season 
of  Spring  altogether  from  the  year. 

Let  us  then  descend  often  to  the  capacity  of  chil- 
dren. Let  us  employ  them,  as  much  as  possible,  in 
storing  their  memory  with  the  maxims  of  piety,  with 
passages  of  scripture,  with  psalms,  and  hymns,  and 
prayers  y  and  give  them,  if  we  can,  from  time  ta 
time,  some  small  present  of  this  kind  to  secure  their 
diligence.  Early  habits  of  diligence  and  application 
will  be  of  great  account  to  them  in  passing  through 
the  present  world,  as  well  as  in  preparing  them  for 
another.     By  this  means,  they  learn  in  time  to  civ 


LECTLTvE   VIII.  /. 

counter  any  difficulty,  from  the  habit  of  surmounting 
hardships.  Let  us  therefore  be  careful  to  impose 
tasks  upon  them.  Let  us  be  zealous  to  instruct  them. 
It  ma}*  not  be  long  (as  we  and  they  are  stepping  off) 
that,  we  shall  have  it  in  our  power  to  do  them  any 
service  :  or,  if  it  should,  the  task  will  be  daily  grow 
ing  more  difficult.  Can  the  Ethiopian  change  his  hue, 
or  the  leopard  his  spots  V  then  may  they  learn  to  do 
good  who  have  been  long  accustomed  to  do  evil.—? 
What  should  recommend  this  duty  to  us  more  espe- 
cially is,  that,  in  this  part  of  our  labour,  we  have 
most  probability  of  success,  and  least  danger  of  be- 
ing infected  ourselves.  For  of  this  danger  we  run  no 
little  risk,  when  we  mix  with  the  grown  up,  on  whom 
the  leprosy  of  sin  may  have  already  come  to  such  a 
height  as  to  render  the  disease  extremely  dangerous  to 
others,  as  well  as  to  themselves. 

Be  it  our  serious  care,  then,  to  embrace  every  op- 
portunity of  training  up  the  young  in  the  knowledge 
of  God,  and  in  the  love  and  practice  of  religion  : 
urging  the  parents  to  join  us,  and  assuring  them  that 
their  own  happiness  or  misery  must  depend  on  the 
education  of  their  children  in  virtue  and  piety.  "  Ii" 
k*  you  wish  to  be  a  saint,  "  says  the  sacred  book  of 
the  Persians,  "  give  good  instruction  to  your  chii - 
"  dren ;  for  their  virtuous  actions  will  be  imputed 
*  to  you.v  Nay,  we  may  assure  them,  that,  gene- 
rally, even  in  the  present  world,  their  families  mils, 
rise  or  fall  in  proportion  as  their  children  are  virtu- 
ous or  vicious. — An  object  of  such  magnitude,  there- 
fore, demands  our  early  and  continued  attention. 
When  they  arc  yet  babes,  let  us  give  them  the  milk 
of  the  word. — the  first  plain  rudiments  of  religion. 
Let  us  give  them  stronger  meat  when  they  are  ablo 
to  receive  it.  IiCt  us  instruct  them,  let  us  confirm 
them,  and  never  lose  sight  of  them,  nor  suffer  early 
impressions  to  wear  off;  but  improve  them  to  settled 
habits  of  piety  and  virtue,  and  lead   them  to  rati IV 


7fi  LECTURE   VIIJ. 

their  covenant  with  God,  by  their  own  personal  deeo\ 
jn  the  holy  communion. 

Such,  my  brethren,  should  be  the  constant  tenor 
of  our  conversation,  and  such,  especially,  our  care  to 
inculcate  early  piety.  For,  if  it  be  the  duty  of  every 
christian  to  take  heed  that  nothing  proceed  out  of  Jm 
mouth,  hut  what  is  good  for  edification,  that  it  ma// 
minister  grace  to  the  hewers,  what  shall  become  of 
that  minister  of  the  gospel  who  does  not  take  still 
greater  heed  to  his  duty,  which,  like  every  other,  is 
more  peculiarly  binding  upon  him*? — -Yes,  my 
brethren,  if  all  the  rest  of  the  world  should  have  their 
conversation,  some  of  earth,  and  some,  perhaps  of 
hell,  our  conversation  should  always  be,  as  much  as 
possible,  in  heaven.  Propriety  of  character  requires 
this  of  the  followers  and  ambassadors  of  Jesus,  and 
practice  wTould  make  it  soon  sit  easy  on  us,  and 
familiarise  us  to  sublime  ideas  and  heavenly  senti- 
ments. 

The  art  of  giving  a  spiritual  and  heavenly  turn  to 
conversation,  and  of  improving  every  subject  to  our 
advancement  in  holiness  and  virtue,  is  best  learned 
from  our  Saviour's  discourses  recorded  in  the  gospels, 
where  we  meet,  on  every  proper  occasion,  with  the 
most  beautiful  examples  of  it.  There,  how  natural 
and  easy  the  transition  from  things  earthly  to  things 
heavenly ;  from  the  meat  that  perisheth  to  that  which 
endureth  to  eternal  life ;  from  the  water  of  the  well 
of  Jacob  to  those  living  waters,  of  which  he  who 
drinketh  shall  never  be  at  hirst  again  !  There,  we  meet 
with  nothing  forced,  nothing  strained,  nothing  un- 
suitable to  the  occasion,  or  to  the  nature  of  the  com- 
pany. For  our  Lord,  in  this,  as  in  every  thing  else, 
exemplified  his  own  precept,  of  not  casting  pearls  be- 
fore swine ;  and  taught  us,  that  our  speech  should 
not  only  be  good,  but  also  suitable  and  well  timed 

*  Inter  seculares  nuga?,  in  ore  s'acerdotis  blasphemiae.— * 


LECTURE    Vtll.  7"7 

^—And  did  we,  my  brethren,  endeavdur  always  ta 
imitate  the  example  of  his  conversation,  we  should 
soon  find  our  progress  in  holiness  to  be  vastly  more 
than  we  looked  for,  and  at  length  arrive  at  a  degree 
of  it  which  few  attain,  because  lew  attempt  it. — That 
we  have  a  moral  capacity  for  such  exalted  improve- 
ment is  plain  from  the  example  of  those  who,  in  this 
and  many  other  parts  of  our  duty,  attained  to  a  de- 
gree of  perfection,  which  to  some,  may  appear  hard- 
ly credible.  In  proof  of  this,  I  will  not  go  back  ta 
patriarchs  or  prophets,  martyrs  or  apostles,  whojmay 
be  supposed  to  have  had  the  aids  of  divine  grace,  in 
a  more  peculiar  and  extraordinary  measure.  I  will 
only  repeat  the  character  which  an  intimate  acquaint- 
ance of  his  gave  of  a  truly  eminent  pastor  of  the 
last  age ;  of  "a  bishop  (as  he  says)  that  had  the 
"  greatest  elevation  of  soul,  the  largest  compass  of 
"  knowledge,  the  most  mortified,  and  most  heavenly 
w  disposition  that  I  ever  yet  saw  in  mortal ;— that 
<■'  had  the  greatest  parts,  as  well  as  virtues,  with  the 
"  most  perfect  humility  that  I  ever  saw  in  man  ;U- 
"  that  had  so  sublime  a  strain  in  preaching,  with  so 
"  grave  a  gesture,  and  such  a  majesty   of  thought, 

*  of  language,  and  of  pronunciation,  that  I  never 
"  once  saw  a  wandering  eye  where  he  preached,  and 
"  have  seen  whole  assemblies  often  melt  in  tears  be- 
"  fore  him :  And  of  whom  I  can  say,  with  great 
"  truth,  that  in  a  free  and  frequent  conversation  with 
"  him  for  above  two  and  twenty  years,  I  never  knew 

"  HIM  SAY  AN  IDLE  WORD,  OR  THAT  HAD  NOT  A  DI- 
"  RECT    TENDENCY    TO    EDIFICATION  :     And    I  llCVCr 

"  once  saw  him  in  any  other  temper,  but  that  which 

*  I  wished  to  be  in  in  the  last  minutes  of  my  life*." 
What  may  not  our  earnest  endeavours  accomplish 

in  those  matters  in  which  we  are  sure  the  grace  of 
God  will  aid  us  ! 

;*  Character  of  'Abp.  Leighton,  in  Burnet's  Pastoral  Care- 


LECTURE  IX. 

Thai  a  Minister  of  the  Gospel  should  set  a  IiqIij  2J# 
ample  to  his  People. 

IT  is  not  by  our  conversation  and  sermons  only, 
my  brethren,  that  we  must  edify  our  people ; — Our 
example  should  always  and  uniformly  preach  to 
them.  The  generality  of  mankind  are  better  judges 
of  our  example  than  of  our  sermons,  and  are  apt 
to  form  their  notion  of  the  gospel  from  our  lives, 
and  of  holiness  from  our  example.  A  good  exam- 
ple is  so  necessary  to  gain  weight  and  credit  to  our 
sermons,  that  they  have  seldom  any  success  without 
it.  Our  hearers,  it  would  seem,  make  little  account 
of  our  speaking  well  for  an  hour,  in  comparison  of 
our  living  well  for  a  week*.  Our  example,  therefore, 
is  the  evidence  of  our  sincerity,  and  the  main  sup- 
port of  our  sermons.  In  vain  do  we  teach  others 
the  duties  of  religion,  if  we  neglect  them  ourselves. 
When  our  practice  contradicts  our  precepts,  we  hin- 
der the  salvation  of  our  own  souls,  and  prove  a  snare 
to  the  souls  of  our  people.  We  cannot,  indeed,  with 
any  grace,  reprove  in  them  what  we  tolerate  in  our- 
selves :  nor  urge  them  to  practise  what  we  ourselves 
neglect.  If  we  should,  our  labour  would  be  lost ; 
for  who  would  observe  the  precepts  which  the  preach- 
er disregards,  or  believe  the  doctrines  which  his  own 
}ife  seems  to  discredit  ? 

T ■"-* 

# f r—K  The  voice 


,f  Is  but  an  instrument,  on  which  the  priest 
"  May  play  what  tune  he  pleases.   In  the  deed, 
r|  The  unequivocal  authentic  deed, 
f<  We  find  sound  argument  j  we  read  the  heart." 

COWPJ3E- 


LECTURE   IX.  79 

Should  we',  my' brethren,  keep  even  free  iron* 
vice,  this,  for  us,  would  be  but  little  praise.  We 
Should  be  patterns  of  the  strictest  holiness  and  virtue.. 
We  should  keep  at  such  a  distance,  if  posible  from 
breaking  the  law,  that,  as  the  rabbies  speak,  u  we 
u  should  not  touch  even  the  hedge  that  guards  it." 
We  should,  with  the  severest  jealousy,  watch  over 
every  part  of  our  conduct ;  and,  with  the  most  scru- 
pulous punctuality,  practise  every  atom  of  duty. 
We  should  abstain  not  only  fivm  evil,  but  from  the 
Very  appearance  of  it ;  and  sometimes  deny  ourselves 
that  liberty,  which  conscience,  perhaps,  allows,  if 
the  indulgence  would  offend  a  weak  brother,  and  ob- 
struct our  usefulness.  We  should  even  exceed  the 
highest  measure  of  holiness  which  we  propose  to  our 
people,  or  which  we  wish  them  to  possess :  For* 
whatever  we  are,  they  will  fchink  they  may  safely  fall 
short  of  it  by  many  degrees  ;  so  exalted  are  the  no- 
tions which  are  generally  formed  of  ministerial  sanc- 
tity. 

A  good  example  is  so  essential  to  the  priesthood, 
that  every  religion,  false  or  true,  supposes  and  re 
quires  it.     "  He  who  exhorts  men  to  repentance," 
says  the  Sadder,  or  sacred  book  of  the  Magi,  "  should 

*  be  without  sin.  He  should  be  zealous,  and  his 
-  zeal  candid  and  void  of  deceit.  He  should  be  of 
£  a  kind  temper*  with  a  soul  susceptible  of  friend- 

*  ship,  and  his  heart  and  his  tongue  should  always 
u  agree.  He  is  to  keep  himself  from  all  debauch 
"  cry,  from  all  injustice,  and  from  all  sin  of  any 
a  kind.  He  should  be  a  pattern  of  goodness  and 
"  justice  to  the  people  of  God."  In  the  Greek  and 
Roman  religions,  in  like  manner,  the  last  and  great 
injunction  given  to  all  who  were  initiated  into  the 
sacred  mysteries,  was,  "  Watch  and  abstain  from 
*evil* 

A  good  example  is  of  so  much  consequence,  that 
the  emperor  Julian  thought- he  could  make  the  false 


80  fcECTURE   IX^ 

religion  prevail  over  the  true,  if  he  could  only  bring 
the  pagan  priests  to  be  holy  and  exemplary  in  their 
conduct.  Accounting,  as  he  declares,  the  strictness 
and  sanctity,  professed  by  christians,  to  be  a  principal 
cause  of  the  prevalence  of  their  faith,  he  gives  direc- 
tions, "  that  the  heathen  priests  be  men  of  serious 
"  tempers  and  deportments  ;  that  they  neither  utter; 
u  nor  hear,  nor  read,  nor  think  of  any  thing  licen- 
"  tious  or  indecent ;  that  they  banish  from  them  all 
"jests  and  libertine  conversation  ;  be  neither  expen- 
sive nor  showish  in  their  apparel;  go  to  no  enter- 
"  tainment,  but  such  as  are  made  by  the  worthiest 
<c  persons  ;  frequent  no  taverns  ;  appear  but  seldom 
*  in  places  of  concourse  ;  never  be  seen  at  the  pub 
"  lie  games  or  shows  ;  and  take  care  that  their  wives  j 
*'  children,  and  servants,  be  pious,  as  well  as  them- 
"selves." — "The  exercise  of  their  sacred  functions 
<<  (says  he)  requires  an  immaculate  purity,  both  of 
"  mind  and  body  ;  and  even  when  they  return  from 
"the  temple  to  any  occupation  or  intercourse  of 
"  common  life,  it  is  incumbent  on  them  to  excel, 
"  in  decency  and  virtue,  the  rest  of  mankind.  Their 
"  humility  should  appear  in  the  plainness  of  their 
§t  domestic  garb  ;  their  dignity  in  the  pomp  of  holy 
"vestments.  A  priest  of  the  gods  should  never  be 
"  seen  in  theatres  or  taverns.  His  conversation  should 
*8  be  holy,  his  diet  temperate,  his  friends  of  honour- 
"  able  reputation,  and  his  studies  should  be  suited  te 
•'  the  sanctity  of  his  profession*." 

These  are  the  means  by  which  Julian  hoped  to 
make  his  favourite  religion  prosper ;  and  it  is  certain 
that  no  religion  whatever  can  prosper  without  them. 
For  a  good  example  is  so  nearly  allied  to  the  power 
of  persuasion,  that  it  is  a  miracle  of  grace  if  one  soul 
is  saved  under  a  wicked  minister.     A  wicked  minis 


*  See  Julian's  Epist.  passwn  ;— Archbishop  Seeker's  Se- 
cond Charge  >—  and  Gibbon's  Hist  ( 


L.E.CTtJRfc   13*  31 

fcer  is  a  burse  to  his  flock,  and  more  fatal  tkan  fam- 
ine, pestilence,  or  sword,  or  any  other  calamity  with 
which  God,  in  his  wrath,  visits  mankind.  On  the 
other  hand,  a  faithful  and  holy  minister,  who,  like 
the  star  of  Bethlehem,  not  only  lights,  but  leads  his 
people  to  Jesus,  is  one  of  the  greatest  blessings  which 
God  bestows  on  men.  Such  a  minister,  personating 
and  resembling  the  great  Saviour  of  souls,  carries  on 
the  work  of  redemption  as  a  fellow-worker  with 
Christ,  and  becomes  the  instrument  of  completing 
his  designs  of  mercy,  and  purposes  of  loVe*  to  the 
souls  of  which  he  has  the  charge.  Such  a  one  is,  in 
some  measure,  here  below,  the  shepherd  and  the 
saviour  of  his  people ;  and,  when  the  great  shepiierp 
shall  appear,  and  ask  of  him  an  account  of  his 
charge,  he  can  with  joy  come  before  him,  writh  the 
souls  which  he  has  been  the  instrument  of  saving, 
and  say,  Behold  me,  and  the  children  which  God  hath 


given  me. 


A  good  minister,  I  repeat  it,  is  a  fellow-worker 
with  God  in  the  salvation  of  souls.  But  a  minister, 
Unworthy  of  this  august  name,  has  an  equal  right  to 
be  called  a  fellow-worker  with  Satan  in  destroying 
mankind.  And  here,  my  brethren,  I  speak  not  of 
ministers  given  to  gross  vice,  or  great  enormity,  if 
"such  there  be.  The  character  of  these,  were  they 
guilty  but  of  one  glaring  trespass  against  the  laws  ot" 
truth,  temperance,  or  chastity,  is  confessedly  blasted* 
T  speak  only  of  those  who  are  cold  or  lukewarm,  in- 
dolent or  earthly  ;  of  those  who  are  given  to  levity 
in  behaviour,  talk,  or  appearance ;  of  those  who  are 
at  no  pains  to  call  forth  the  spirit  of  their  office,  by 
study,  prayer,  meditation,  and  self-denial;  of  those, 
who  make  a  fashion  of  going  through  the  duties  of 
their  function,  without  zeal,  earnestness,  or  uncti- 
on*, and  therefore  without  success  ;  of  those,  who 

*,"  Gravity  and  warmth  united,  form  that  character  of 
rt  preaching,  which  the  French  call  onction ;  the  a/fecting,  pen? 

M 


8'3  lecture  rx. 

deliver  the  most  awful  truths  of  the  gospel  with  tht* 
same  coldness   and   insensibility  with   which  they 
would  speak  of  ordinary  matters,    and  whose  lives 
want  that  character  of  piety,  which  only  could  stamp 
a  value  on  their  sermons:  For  sermons  have  no  ef- 
fect when  the  preacher  has  no   piety.     His  words, 
like  arrows  shot  from  a  bow  which  has  no  elasticity, 
fall  short  of  the  mark,  ineffectual  and  feeble.     The 
coldness  of  his  heart  freezes,  as  it  were,  his  language ; 
and  he  cannot  possibly  kindle  in  the  hearts  of  other1; 
that  love  to  God,   and  zeal  for  his  service  of  which 
there  is  not  a  spark  in  his  own.     If  his  sermons  awa- 
ken any  remorse  in  his  hearers,   his  example  will 
immediately  allay  it  and  give  them  a  peace  which  con- 
science would  not  allow" them.    When  they  see  their 
morals  so  much  resemble  those  of  their  minister,  they 
will  suppose  themselves  in  no  danger ;  or  perhaps 
believe  that  there  is  nothing  serious  in  those  duties 
of  religion  which  it's  ministers  themselves  neglect  ov 
despise.     Thus,  perhaps,  thousands  of  unhappy  souls 
Mho  have  gone  before  us,  and  wvho  are  now  in  the 
place  of  torment,  eternally  shut  out  from  happiness 
and  from  hope,  owe  their  ruin  to  those  ministers  un- 
der whom  they  lived.     And  perhaps,  (I  utter  it  with 
trembling !)  perhaps  some  of  the  souls  under  our  mi 
nistry  may  find  themselves  there  by  and  bye,  and 
owe  their  ruin  to  the  like  bad  and  careless  example 
received  from  us.     That  stream  which  deluges  the 
people  of  God,  may  proceed  sometimes   from    the 
bottom  of  the  sanctuary.     That  flood  of  profaneness 
which  overflows  the  land,  may  spring  sometimes  from 
■it's  prophets* .     Yes  my  brethren,    the  fate  of  thou- 

*r  etrating,  interesting  manner,  flowing  from  a  strong  sensibi- 
lity of  heart  in  the   preacher  to  the   importance   of  those 
'  truths  which  he  delivers,  and  an  earnest  desire  that  they 
■f  may  make  a  full  impression  on  the  hearts  of  his  hearers.^ 

Dr.  Blair's  LecT,  on  Rhbt, 
*  Jer.  xxiii.  15. 


LECTURE   IX.  8$ 

sands  of  souls  is  annexed  to  ours.  We  are  always 
ad  for  the  rise  or  fall  of  many  in  Israel.  Me  are,  a- 
it  were,  pillars  in  the  house  of  our  God,  and  if  these 
at  any  time  tail,  the  superstructure  must  fall  of  course. 

A  good  and  holy  example  is  the  first  duty  of  a 
pastor.  Without  this,  his  labour^  in  every  other  re- 
spect, is  lost.  Like  those  on  whom  Moses  pronoun- 
ces a  part  of  his  curse  *,  he  sores,  hut  shall  not  reap  : 
he  waters  without  seeing  the  increase.  lie  may  carry 
much  seed  out  into  the  field,  but  he  shall  gather  lit* 
tic  in.  He  may  plant  vineyards,  and  dress  them, 
but  he  shall  neither  drink  of  the  wine,  nor  gather  the 
grapes.  The  sacred  field  under  his  care  is  cursed 
with  bearing  only  thorns  and  briers.  Unhappy  the 
people  to  whom  God,  in  his  wrath,  gives  such  a  pas 
tor  !  They  can  neither  be  roused  by  his  sermons, 
guided  by  his  example,  nor  edified  by  his  conversa- 
tion. Unhappy  the  pastor,  who  becomes  thus  the 
tempter  and  destroyer  of  those  souls  whom  he  ought, 
to  be  instrumental  in  saving  !  His  superior  know- 
ledge, when  he  does  not  live  according  to  it,  will 
only  serve  to  aggravate  his  condemnation.  lie  bears 
die  torch,  and  yet  he  himself  loses  the  way.  He  is 
raised  in  the  temple  of  God  (but  like  the  man  of  sin 
spoken  of  by  the  apostle),  instead  of  serving  him,  he 
wars  against  him.  And  then  how  is  the  name  ot 
God  blasphemed  !  how  is  religion  reproached,  and 
Jesus  wounded  in  the  house  of  his  friends  ! 

Our  saviour  tells  us,  that  whosoever  shall  offend 
even  one  of  the  least  of  his  followers,  it  were  better 
for  him  that  a  mill-stone  were  hanged  about  his  neck, 
and  that  he  were  drowned  in  the  depth  of  the  sea. 
How  impossible  is  it,  then,  for  that  minister  of  the 
gospel  to  escape  the  heaviest  condemnation,  whosf 
careless  or  faulty  example  must  offend  ,  perhaps  ruin, 
many  t  Even  that  which  in  others  might  be  pardon- 

*"  *       *  '  **  *      i.    ,  i  ■ »n    ^fc. 

*  Deut  xxyiii,  38,  39. 


84  LECTURE   IX, 

able,  is  in  him  highly  aggravated.  Others  might 
plead  that  they  did  not  hear  the  trumpet ;  but  it  waa 
his  business  to  sound  it  *  ;  and,  therefore,  if  tempted, 
or  even  surprised  into  sin,  he  can  neither  excuse  the 
fault,  nor,  without  speedy  repentance,  deux  he  hope 
to  elude  the  punishment.  And,  heavens  !  who  can 
conceive  what  that  punishment  must  be,  when  the 
offence  is  so  very  heinous  ?  Who  can  describe  that 
sorer  punishment  of  which  he  may  be  thought  worthy, 
who,  teaching  others,  teacheth  not  himself,  but, 
through  breaking  the  law,  cUshonoureth  God  ! 

In  the  Levitical  law  t,  it  is  required,  that  the  sa- 
crifice for  the  sin  of  a  priest  should  be  no  less  than 
was  offered  for  the  whole  congregation,  who,  at  that 
time,  may  have  been  two  millions  of  souls  in  num- 
ber. And  who  knows  but  God  may  exact  for  the 
sin  of  a  priest,  (as  this  seems  but  too  plainly  to  inti- 
mate) a  punishment,  as  he  did  a  sacrifice,  equal  to 
ivhat  may  be  inflicted  on  a  whole  congregation  ?  One 
dares  not  think  that  any  less  may  be  implied  in  the 
law  just  now  referred  to.  How  holy,  how  exem- 
plary, then,  should  be  the  life  of  a  minister  of  the 
gospel  !  On  every  thing  he  says  or  does,  should  be 
inscribed,  holiness  unto  the  lord.  "His  soul, 
•'should  be  purer  than  the  rays  of  the  sunt,"  and 
he  should  walk  among  men  as  an  angel  of  heaven. 

The  very  heathens,  poor  and  low  as  their  notions 
of  God  and  religion  were,  had  (as  we  hinted  already) 
»0  high  an  idea  of  the  sanctity  of  their  priesthood, 
that  the  strictest  and  most  exemplary  regularity 
was  expected  from  their  sacred  order.  And  such 
persons  as  assumed  the  priestly  character,  knowing 
that  from  them  a  more  than  ordinary  degree  of  vir- 
tue was  expected  and  required,  did,  from  that  mo- 
ment, consider  themselves  as  bound  to  excel  the  rest 

*  Ezek.  xxxiii.  3.  f  Ley.  ix.  3.  14." 

%  Chryfost.  de  Sacerd, 


LECTURE   IjS'.  8 3 

of  mankind.  The  speech,  which  an  ancient  tragic 
poet  puts  in  the  mouth  of  one  of  them,  may  give  the 
blush  to  many  a  minister  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus, 
«*  Since  I  became  a  priest  of  Idean  Jupiter  (says  he) 
P  I  have  kept  all  my  garments  pure  and  spotless, 
«'  and  I  hold  myself  ahove  the  ordinary  converse 
«•  and  conduct  of  mortal  men*." 

If  such,  my  brethren,  were  the  sentiments  of  a 
priest  of  Idean  Jove,  what  should  be  those  of  the 
minister  of  the  great  Jehovah  !  How  pure,  how  ho- 
ly, how  exalted,  almost  to  a  proximity  with  the  per- 
fect angels  !  And  as  we,  my  brethren,  bear  this  char- 
acter, how  cautiously  should  we  guard  against  even 
the  appearance  of  evil,  and  especially  against  every 
real  fault  ?  The  sins  of  wicked  men  call  for  the  ven- 
geance of  heaven,  but  those  of  a  wicked  minister,  like 
that  of  the  murderer  of  Cain,  for  a  vengeance  seven- 
fold.— And,  by  wicked  ministers  (I  must  again  repeat 
it),  I  mean  not  such  as  the  world  generally  calls  by 
phat  name  :  I  mean  only  such  as  are  cold,  or  careless, 
or  lukewarm,  or  worldly ;  who,  if  they  have  no  posi- 
tive vice  or  crime,  have  as  little  zeal  or  piety ;  who, 
if  they  do  not  love  pleasure,  do  as  little  love  heavenly 
conversation,  prayer,  meditation,  and  study t. — Yes, 
my  brethren,  in  a  minaster,  not  to  be  pious,  is  to  be 
wicked ;  not  to  excite  to  virtue,  is  to  encourage  vice ; 
not  to  confirm,  by  his  example,  the  doctrine  which  he 
preaches,  is  to  deny  the  faith ;  and,  in  a  word,  not 
co  be  more  holy  than  other  men,  is  to  be  the  curse 
of  his  people,  the  disgrace  of  his  office,  and  the  ene- 
my of  his  God.  Their  having  neglected  to  do  good, 
more  than  their  having  done  evil,  may  be,  one  day, 
the  condemnation  of  most  ministers.  The  idle  ser-. 
vant  is,  by  the  gospel,  sentenced  to  the  same  torments 

'*    E£  a  Aios  loxtH  (AV<ms 
I/yfvo^tf,  Tzxv'Atvitx  yt^xrx, 
$5Vyu  y:;c<jiv  $e  /?£wt«v. 

PoUPHYR.    CIT,   ?X   EuRlR 

t  Vid.  Massilon,  pas^iir*. 


86  LJECTURE   IX. 

With  the  unfaithful. — And  if  even  the  bare  absentQ 
of  zeal  and  piety  be  thus  punished  in  a  minister, 
what  treasures  of  wrath  must  await  the  unhappy  ser- 
vant who  is  positively  evil !  Our  saviour  himself 
seems  to  be  at  a  loss  for  language  strong  enough  to 
express  the  terrible  fate  of  such  a  minister.  His  mas- 
ter, says  he,  will — what  will  he? — reprove,  or  beat, 
or  scourge  him  ? — no,  but  cut  him  asunder  ! 

Remember  the  history  of  the  sons  of  Eli:  From 
that,  it  would  appear,  that  God  has  scarce  any  pun- 
ishment adequate  to  the  crimes  of  ministers.  And  if 
he  thus  punished  the  profaners  of  the  blood  of  bulk 
and  goats,  what  shall  he  do,  or  rather,  what  shall 
he  not  do,  to  the  profaners  of  the  blood  of  his 
Son? 

In  scripture,  we  find  careless  and  corrupt  pastops 
the  greatest  curse  which  God  at  any  time  sent  upon 
a  sinful  people*.  The  lesser  crimes  of  the  Jews  are 
punished  with  raising  up  kings  against  kings,  and  na- 
tion against  nation ;  with  reversing  the  order  of  the 
seasons  ;  with  barrenness  of  land,  famine,  pestilence, 
and  sword.  But  when  their  crimes  were  at  the 
highest,  and  God's  wrath  at  the  hottest ;  when  wea- 
ry, as  it  were,  with  chastening  them,  he  asks,  why 
should  ye  be  stricken  any  more,  or  wherewith  shall 
I  strike  you  any  moret?  what  last  mark  shall  I  give 
of  my  displeasure  ?  Then,  as  we  find  from  the  sequel, 
he  draws  forth  from  his  stores  of  wrath  unfaithful 
ministers,  wicked  and  corrupt  pastors,  shepherds  who. 
fed  themselves  and  not  the  flock ;  who  did  not  strength- 
en the  diseased,  nor  heal  the  sick,  nor  bind  that  which 
was  broken ;  who  did  not  seek  the  lost,  nor  bring  again 
that  which  was  driven  away\. — And  if  there  be  any 
of  us,  my  brethren,  to  whom  this  character  will  ap 
ply,  such  may  fear,  that  they  are  sent  by  God,  as 

—  i   — _ , —     ..  .  ■  ■«»■ 

*  Massilon.  f  Isaiah  i.  $, 

t  Ezek,  xxxiv.  and  Zech,  xi.  X6. 


dftt  of  thr  first  plagues,  for  one  of  the  worst  ages  of 
the.  world.  For,  in  the  New  as  well  as  in  the  Old 
Testament,  false,  corrupt,  and  covetous  teachers,  are 
some  of  the  plagues  and  signs  of  the  worst  and  last 
times*.  And,  indeed,  what  worse  calamity  can  be- 
fal  a  people,  than  to  have  a  careless,  not  to  say  a  cor- 
rupt, minister  ?  Other  plagues  extend  only  to  the 
body,  but  this  takes  in,  not  only  the  body,  but  the 
soul.  Other  calamities  are  limited  by  time,  but  the 
consequence  of  this  extends  to  eternity  ;  for  careless 
and  wicked  ministers  are  seldom  or  never  honoured 
to  be  the  instruments  of  saving  souls.  Like  the 
scribes  and  pharisees  of  old,  they  neither  go  info  hea- 
ven themselves,  nor  suffer  them  that  are  entering  to 
go  in.  They  are  a  stone  of  stumbling  and  offence  in 
the  threshold,  on  which  thousands  of  unhappy  souls 
must  fall  and  perish.  Unhappy  that  people  !  and  woe 
to  that  pastor !  although  some  of  his  people,  by  the 
uncommon  grace  of  God,  should  be  saved. 

You  see  then,  my  brethren,  what  manner  of  pei*- 
sous  xiAe  ought  to  be ;  how  holy  in  life  and  conversation. 
On  this  our  usefulness  here,  and  our  happiness  here- 
after, our  own  souls,  and  those  of  others,  are  de- 
pending. Let  us,  therefore,  take  heed  to  ourselves, 
and  walk  in  the  steps  of  our  Master.  Let  our  lives 
be  such  a  copy  of  his,  that  men  may  say  of  each  of 
us,  "  He  is  a  fair,  though  faint  image  of  his  Master; 
"  from  this  man's  life  I  can  conceive  how  Jesus  liv- 
**  ed." — As  our  Master  was  holy,  harmless,  and  un- 
dented, so  should  we,  as  far  as  our  imperfect  nature 
will  allow.  To  this  attainment  let  us  bend  our  chief 
attention  ;  for  whether  we  regard  our  own  salvation, 
or  the  success  of  our  ministry,  this  demands  our  first 
care.  Let  us  remember,  that  the  chief  glory  and 
happiness  of  every  creature  depends  on  the  measure 
he  attains  of  moral  excellence ;  as,  indeed,  the  chief 

*  2  Pet.  ii.  10.    %.  Ti/n.  iii.  3.  &o. 


&S  LECTURE   IX. 

» 

glory  and  perfect  blessedness  of  God  himself,  must 
arise  from  his  possessing  this  excellenee  in  infin&e 
perfection.     It  is  this  that  peculiarly  challenges  the 
love,  esteem,  and  confidence  of  his  rational  offspring : 
and  our  love,   esteem,    and  usefulness  among  our 
people,  will  be  in  proportion  to  the  measure  we  pos- 
sess of  the  same  excellence,    This,  in  a  word,  is  the 
basis  of  all  our  present  and  future  happiness. — And 
to  excite  us  to  this  holiness  of  life,  and  excellence  of 
character,  we  must  look,  not  to  the  world  around 
Us,  but  to  God,  to  angels,  and  the  other  inhabitants 
of  heaven.     We  must  look  to  the  highest  precepts  of 
the  gospel,  and  copy  the  life  of  our  High  Priest  and 
pattern.    We  must  think  how  the  apostles,  and  other 
faithful  preachers,  lived ;  and  how  departed  ministers 
would  live  again,  if  they  *~ere  to  act  their  part  in  life 
a  second  time.     We  must  study,  seek,  and  practise 
all  possible  wa}^s  of  doing,  and  of  being  good ;  de- 
vote our  life  to  the  faithful  discharge  of  our  office, 
and  to  the  practice  of  self-denial  and  humility,  of  cha- 
rity and  devotion. — Finally,    brethren,  whatsoever 
things  are  true,  whatsoever  things  are  honest,  what" 
soever  things  are  just,  whatsoever  things  are  ptire, 
whatsoever  tilings  are  lovely,  whatsoever  things  are 
oj  good  report ;    if  there  be  any  virtue,  and  if  there 
be  any  praise,   think  on  these  things,  and  do  them. 
Be,  as  you  ought,  the  example  of  your  flocks,  and 
the  guides  of  your  people.     For  you  are  the  light 
of  the  world,  and  if  you  burn  but  dimly,  the  peo- 
ple may  wander  and  be  lost.     If  the  pharos  will  not 
shine^  how  can  the  voyagers  find  the  harbour  ? 


LECTURE  X, 

That  a  MiniMer  of  the  Gospel  should  be  Meek  mid 

Lowly. 

LEARN  of  me,  said  our  Saviour,  for  I  am  meek 
find  lowly. — Of  all  the  graces  which  he,  who  was 
perfection  itself,  possessed,  meekness  and  lowliness 
are  those  for  which  he  proposes  himself  more  pecu- 
liarly as  the  examplar  and  pattern  of  his  followers. 
Nothing  could  give  us  a  higher  idea  of  the  great  ex- 
cellency and  importance  of  the  christian  graces,  and 
of  their  indispensible  necessity  to  all  his  disciples,  at 
all  times,  and  in  all  conditions.  But  most  of  all  are 
they  necessary  to  ministers  of  the  gospel,  who  should 
be  altogether  mortified  to  passion  and  to  pride.  For 
we,  my  brethren,  not  only  live  like  ordinary  christi- 
ans, in  a  world  of  trouble  and  temptation,  and,  like 
them,  have  frequent  occasion  to  converse  with  men 
of  corrupt  natures  and  perverse  dispositions,  but  our 
duty  calls  us,  moreover,  to  the  difficult  task  of  re 
proving  and  reforming  them.  And,  in  doing  this*, 
however  cautious  and  prudent  our  conduct,  we  must 
often  lay  our  account  with  censure  and  reproach, 
with  provocation  and  opposition.  It  avails  not  that 
we  love  and  serve  their  souls ;  they  will,  notwith- 
standing, be  disposed  to  abuse  and  hurt  us.  It  avails 
not  that  we  study  and  pray  for  them  as  dear  chil- 
dren ;  this  is  the  return  which  we  must  often  look 
for.  And  this  we  must  bear  with  all  patience  and 
meekness,  as  the  physician  bears  the  injuries  and  in- 
sults of  a  patient  who  is  disordered  in  his  judgment*. 

*  Sicut  medicus  uon  a  cura  insani  desistit  etsi,  &c.  sic 
tfoiwjionator,  &c. — Chrysost. 

N 


90  LECTURE  X. 

Yes,  my  brethren,  we  have  to  do  with  sinners,  and 
must  not  expect  to  gather  grapes  from  thorns,  nor 
figs  from  thistles.  Offences  must  come:  and,  when 
they  do  come,  it  is  our  business  to  look  to  him  who 
endureth  the  contradiction  of  sinners  against  himself, 
and  to  learn,  from  his  example,  to  meet  every  pro- 
vocation in  the  spirit  of  meekness.  It  is  our  busi- 
ness to  be  slow  to  wrath,  unwilling  to  resent,  patient 
to  bear,  and  ready  to  forgive  all  affronts  and  injuries 
whatever.  The  servant  of  the  Lord,  must  not  strive, 
but  he  gentle  unto  all  men,  in  meekness  Instructing  those 
that  oppose  themselves.  He  must  cease  from  anger, 
and  forsake  wrath,  and  fret  not  himself  in  any  wise. 
If  he  does,  he  gives  the  adversary  a  dreadful  advan- 
tage over  him,  and  will  soon  find,  that  losing  his 
temper  is  losing  the  victory. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  he  is  possessed  of  meekness, 
andean,  under  every  provocation,  maintain  a  calm 
and  placid  temper,  which  will  never  allow  passion  to 
prevent  the  exercise  of  benevolence,  he  may,  in  time, 
subdue  the  most  stubborn  malice  of  his  foes,  as  well 
as  secure  the  general  approbation  and  regard  of 
others.  And  should  he  not  even  be  free  from  faults, 
this  temper  will  go  far  to  hide  them.  For  meekness, 
like  charity,  will  serve  to  cover  a  multitude  of  sins, 
from  which  we  turn  away  our  eye  to  view  the  better 
side  of  the  character.  Thus,  in  the  following  in- 
stance of  the  meekness  of  the  son  of  Ali,  we  forget 
all  his  faults  ;  we  almost  forget  he  is  an  infidel ;  when, 
in  the  moment  of  provocation,  we  see  him  hold,  in 
a  harmless  hand,  the  bloody  scimitar  of  Mahomet. 
One  of  his  slaves  had  carelessly  allowed  a  dish  of 
scalding  broth  to  drop  on  him.  The  wretch  fell  pros- 
trate to  deprecate  his  punishment,  and  repeated  a 
verse  from  the  Koran  :  "  Paradise  is  for  those  who 
"  command  their  anger."  "  I  am  not  angry." 
"  And  for  those  who  pardon  offences."  "  I  pardon 
u  your  offence,"    "  And  for  those  who  return  good 


LECTURE    X,  $] 

K  for  evil.'*  "  I  give  you  your  liberty,  and  a  thou 
"  sand  pieces  of  silver." 

But  though  a  minister  should  thus  make  every  sa- 
crifice to  meekness  and  the  love  of  peace  which  con- 
science  will  allow,  yet,  sometimes,  while  men  have 
vicious  passions  and  inclinations  to  be  thwarted,  his 
duty  may  call  upon  him  to  contend.  If,  even  then, 
however,  lie  fights  with  other  weapons  than  those 
of  his  own  warfare,  he  acts  no  less  contrary  to  pru- 
dence than  to  duty.  Therefore  the  archangel  Mi- 
chael, when  contending  with  the  devil,  durst  not 
bring  against  him  a  railing  accusation.  And,  indeed, 
i  f  he  had,  could  not  with  such  weapons,  expect  to 
overcome  him.  At  any  rate,  what  good  man  or  an- 
gel would  choose  to  contend  for  such  a  victory  ?  Let 
us  rather  contend,  my  brethren,  who  shall  always 
maintain  the  meekest  frame  of  spirit :  And  let  us  re- 
member, that  we  can  never  be  happy  in  ourselves, 
nor  useful  to  our  people,  that  we  can  never  discharge 
our  duty  with  fidelity,  bear  our  trials  with  patience, 
nor  overcome  them  with  fortitude,  unless  we  are 
possessed  of  meekness.  Without  this,  especially, 
we  can  no  more  receive  the  influences  of  the  Divine 
Spirit,  than  the  lake  can  receive  and  reflect  the 
beams  of  the  sun  when  it  is  not  serene  and  peaceful. 

A  meek  and  lowly  temper  is  so  essential  a  part  of 
our  character,  and  so  necessary  a  qualification  for 
our  office,  that  he  who  is  not  in  a  very  high  degree 
possessed  of  it,  should  have  neither  lot  nor  part  in 
this  matter,  Hence  one  of  the  greatest  ornaments 
of  the  ministry,  St.  Chrysostom,  would  have  excused 
himself  from  entering  on  it,  because  he  apprehended 
he  had  not  that  meekness  and  gentleness  of  mind 
which  he  thought  necessary  to  prepare  him  for  re- 
ceiving injuries,  bearing  insults,  and  treating  even 
his  enemies  with  mildness  and  love,  as  Christ  had 
enjoined  his  followers.  And  yet  how  great  a  share 
of  this  virtue,  as  well  as  resignation  to  Cod,  he  pos- 


92  LECTURE  X. 

sessed,  appears  from  the  account  which  he  gives  oi 
himself  when  he  was  unjustly  banished,  and  uncertain 
what  punishment  and  misery  might  still  await  him. — 
"  When  I  was  banished  from  the  city,"  says  he? 
u  and  knew  not  what  should  be  done  to  me,  none 
u  of  these  things  moved  me ;  but  I  said  within  my- 
"  self,  If  the  queen  will,  let  her  banish  me  ,  the  earth 
"  is  the  Lord's,  and  the  fulness  thereof.  If  she  will, 
?  let  her  saw  me  asunder  ;  Isaiah  suffered  the  same 
u  fate.  If  she  will,  let  her  cast  me  into  the  sea ;  I 
"  will  remember  Jonah.  If  she  will,  let  her  cast  me 
a  into  a  burning  fiery  furnace,  or  among  wild  beasts  ; 
"  the  three  children  and  Daniel  were  so  dealt  with. 
"If  she  will,  let  her  stone  me,  or  behead  me  ;  I  shall 
"  then  have  St.  Stephen  or  the  Baptist  for  my  blessed 
"companion.  Or,  if  she  will  only  deprive  me  of 
te  all  my  substance,  let  her  take  it;  naked  came  I 
"  out  of  my  mother's  womb,  and  naked  shall  I  re- 
ctum thither*." 

When  such  a  spirit  deemed  himself  not  meek 
enough  for  the  sacred  office,  we  may  consider  what 
a  high  degree  of  meekness  that  office  requires.  Who- 
ever, therefore,  is  not  possessed  of  much  of  this  hea- 
venly grace,  and  studious  of  more,  ought  not  to  en- 
ter on  an  office  in  which  he  is  sure  to  meet  with  a 
thousand  trials  of  temper,  from  which  he  might  be 
exempt  in  any  other  line.  In  this  office,  a  man  of  a 
peevish,  hasty,  and  resentful  spirit,  is,  like  a  flame 
that  plays  among  combustibles,  in  danger  every  mo- 
ment of  breaking  out  and  doing  harm.  He  harms 
himself,  others,  and  the  cause  of  God.  And,  as  a 
little  smoke  will  darken  the  brightest  object,  so,  if  all 
the  rest  of  a  minister's  life  were  clearer  than  the  light 
of  the  sun,  this  alone  would  darken  all,  and  make 
the  rest  be  forgotten.  The  same  allowances  are  in 
no  case  made  for  us  as  for  other  men.     The  Levites 

*  Joannes  exul,  Cyriaco  Episc.  exuli  Epis^ 


LECTURE   X.  98 

were  not  allowed  to  mourn  for  their  dead  relations  ; 
to  teach  us  how  far  we  ought  to  rise  above  all  the 
concerns  of  flesh  and  blood,  and  subdue  the  most 
excusable  passions  of  human  nature.  But  how  much 
more  ought  we  to  rise  above  those  that  are  faulty 
and  hurtful  ?  Our  minds  should  be  like  those  upper 
regions,  which  are  always  serene  and  peaceful.  They 
who  take  most  latitude  themselves,  expect  this  from 
us ;  as  if  we  were  a  higher  order  of  beings,  which, 
in  some  sense,  indeed,  we  ought  to  be,  considering 
how  high  our  character  is,  and  how  sublime  our 
hope. 

Yes,  my  brethren,  all  things  considered,  it  is  ab- 
solutely necessary  that  we  should  be  able  to  possess 
our  souls  in  patience,  amid  the  tumult  and  the 
storm  that  rage  around  us  ;  covering  ourselves,  as  in 
a  coat  of  mail,  with  the  ornament  of  a  meek  and  quiet 
spirit.  This  only  can  render  us  invulnerable  to  the 
injuries  and  contradiction  of  sinners.  Whereas,  with- 
out it,  the  darts  shot  by  the  feeblest  hands  will  wound 
us,  and  serve  to  embitter,  by  their  numbers,  all  the 
hours  of  our  life.  Nor  shall  that  life  be  long  which 
is  thus  exposed  to  every  flying  shaft,  and  ruffled  by 
every  furious  blast  of  a  hasty  spirit.  To  any  man, 
th.e  evil  of  such  a  spirit  is  dreadful.  It  will  shake  the 
constitution,  waste  the  flesh,  sour  the  temper,  poison 
the  spirits,  bring  on  diseases,  and  hasten  death. — 
But,  to  a  minister,  the  evil  is  still  greater.  It  will 
hurt  his  usefulness,  degrade  the  sacred  character,  do 
harm  to  the  souls  of  men,  and  prejudice  the  cause  of 
God.  For  our  own  sake,  therefore,  for  the  sake  of 
our  order,  and  for  the  sake  of  our  Master,  we  ought 
to  cultivate,  as  we  are  required,  a  meek  and  lowly 
temper,  and  never  be  overcome  with  evil,  but  over- 
come evil  with  good.  We  ought  to  leave  all  anger, 
malice  and  revenge,  to  the  children  of  this  world ; 
and  depart,  on  no  pretence  whatever,  from  the  tem- 
per which  becomes  our  character  and  office, — "You 


94  LECTURE   X. 

a  require  of  me,"  said  a  vestal  or  priestess  of  Athens 
to  the  magistrates  of  that  city,  "  you  require  of  me 
"  to  cUrse  Alcibiades ;  but  I  must  tell  you,  that  this 
"is  inconsistent  with  my  office,  which  allows  me 
il  only  to  bless  and  pray." 

As  our  temper,  my  brethren,  ought  not  to  be  ruf- 
fled by  any  injuries  or  affronts  offered  to  ourselves, 
so  neither  ought  we  to  be  transported  into  passion, 
or  show  any  rancour,  on  account  of  what  we  may 
suppose  an  indignity  offered  to  God.  To  avenge  his 
cause  by  our  lawless  passions,  would  be  to  become 
partakers  of  other  men's  sins.  The  weapons  of  our 
waifare  are  not  carnal,  but  spiritual.  If  the  heresies 
and  errors  of  men  lead  them  to  disturb  the  peace  of 
societ}',  it  is  the  business  of  the  civil  magistrate  to 
controul  them.  And  if  they  should  not,  u  it  is  bet- 
"  ter  (as  the  emperor  Antonius  observed)  that  the 
"gods  themselves  should  punish  them,  than  that  we 
"  should  interfere,  and  do  it."  If  God  is  offended, 
he  needs  not  the  aid  of  our  sinful  passions  to  revenge 
the  wrong  ;  and  the  rash  proffer  would  only  incur 
his  displeasure.  When  Peter  drew  the  sword,  he 
was  checked  ;  when  the  two  disciples  offered  to  call 
for  fire  from  heaven,  they  were  sharply  reproved  ; 
and  when  Abraham  (if  I  may  be  allowed  to  allude 
to  a  beautiful  moral  tale)  turned  the  hoary  sinner 
out  of  his  house,  the  father  of  the  faithful  was  re- 
buked, for  not  bearing,  for  one  night,  with  him 
whom  God  had  endured  for  nine  score  and  eighteen 
years  #. 
_____ j. - . 

*  ie  And  it  came  to*f>ass,  after  these  things,  that  Abraham 
"*  sat  in  the  door  of  his  tent  about  the  going  down  of  the  sun. 
cf  And  behold  a  man,  bent  with  age,  coming  from  the  way 
"  of  the  wilderness,  leaning  on  a  staff.  And  Abraham  arose 
«'  and  met  him,  and  said  unto  him,  Turn  in,  I  pray  thee,  and 
"  wash  thy  feet,  and  tarry  all  night,  and  thou  ehalt  arise  ear- 
ct  \y  in  the  morning,  and  go  on  thy  way.    And  the  man  said, 


LECTURE   X.  95 

In  recommending  this  temper,  1  cannot  help  re- 
marking* a  beautiful  example  of  it  in  the  exalted  cha- 
racter of  Father  Paul,  author  of  the  History  of  the 
Council  of  Trent.  Though  this  man  passed  a  long 
life  in  religious  controversy,  which,  from  the  appre- 
hended importance  of  the  subject,  is,  of  all  contro- 
versies, the  most  exasperating,  and  though  his  life 
and  reputation  were  perpetually  attacked  by  every 
art  that  the  bitterest  enmity  could  invent,  yet  his 
writings,  his  life,  and  his  heart,  were  perfectly  free 
from  every  tint  of  a  vindictive  spirit.  Entirely  de- 
voted to  the  public  cause,  and  to  truth,  he  rose  supe- 
rior to  the  spirit  of  the  times,  overlooked  injuries,  in- 
sults, and  repeated  attempts  on  his  life,  like  a  true 
disciple  of  the  Master  whom  he  served. 

In  like  manner,  my  brethren,  if  we  would  render 
acceptable  service  to  God,  it  must  be  by  adorning  our 

"  Nay,  for  I  will  abide  under  this  tree.  But  Abraham  pres- 
,f  sed  him  greatly  ;  so  he  turned,  and  they  went  into  the  tent 
"  And  Abraham  baked  unleavened  bread,  and  they  did  eat, 
"  And  when  Abraham  saw  that  the  man  blessed  not  God,  he 
"  said  unto  him,  Wherefore  dost  thou  not  warship  the  most 
■•  high  God,  creator  of  heaven  and  earth  ?  And  the  man  an* 
«'  swered  and  said,  1  do  not  worship  thy  God,  neither  do  I 
"  call  upon  his  name  ;  for  I  have  made  to  myself  a  God, 
"  which  abideth  always  in  mine  house,  and  provideth  me 
tf  with  all  things.  And  Abraham 's  zeal  was  kindled  against 
"  the  man,  and  arose,  and  fell  upon  him,  and  drove  him  forth 
f  with  blows  into  the  wilderness.  And  God  called  unto  A- 
"  braham,  saying  where  is  the  stranger  ?  And  Abraham  an- 
*•  swered  and  said,  Lord,  he  would  not  worship  thee,  neither 
"  would  he  catl  upon  thy  name  ;  therefore  have  I  driven  him 
*'  out  frem  before  my  face  into  the  wilderness.  And  God 
"  said,  Have  I  not  borne  with  him  these  hundred  ninety  and 
"  eight  years,  and  nourished  him,  and  clothed  him,  notwith- 
«'  standing  his  rebellion  against  me  ;  and  could  not  thou., 
"  who  art  thyself  a  sinner,  bear  with  him  one  night?" 


06  LECTURE   X.. 

profession  with  patience,  forbearance,  charity,  and 
meekness.  If,  at  any  time,  we  discover  a  spirit  of 
persecution,  we,  at  the  same  time,  discover  that  we 
have  none  of  the  spirit  of  Jesus,  and  that  we  have 
really  as  little  pretension  to  wisdom  as  to  innocence  ; 
for  persecution,  instead  of  crushing,  strengthens  here- 
sy ;  whereas,  clemency  always  recommends  the  per- 
son or  the  cause  tliat  shews  it.  Seven  thousand 
Persians  were  once  taken  captive  by  the  Romans, 
and,  according  to  the  customs  of  a  barbarous  age,  had 
no  alternative  but  slavery  or  death.  Acacius,  bishop 
of  Amida,  boldly  declaring  *;  that  vases  of  gold  and 
"  silver  are  useless  to  a  God  who  neither  eats  nor 
"  drinks,"  sold  the  plate  of  his  church,  and  employ- 
ed the  pri$e  in  the  redemption  of  the  seven  thousand 
captives.  He  dressed  their  wounds  with  affectionate 
care,  supplied  their  wants,  blessed  and  dismissed 
them.  Go,  said  he,  tell  your  king,  that  this  is  the 
true  spirit  of  that  religion  which  he  persecute*  The 
consequence  was  a  very  long  truce,  to  which  we 
may  suppose  the  clemency  of  Acacius  contributed 
no  less  than  the  arms  of  the  Romans. 

Thus,  my  brethren,  if  we  wish  to  overcome  our 
own  enemy,  or  him  whom  we  deem  an  enemy  to 
God,  by  clemency  and  meekness  only  may  we  hope 
to  effect  our  purpose.  If  we  cannot  succeed  by  these 
means,  all  that  remains  is,  for  our  own  safety,  to  re- 
frain from  their  company  and  their  communion. 
For,  say  that  any  one  offends,  yet  where  is  our  com- 
mission to  punish  ?  since,  happily  for  all,  our  Master 
hath  reserved  vengeance  solely  to  himself,  as  his  pe- 
culiar prerogative.  Say  that  our  fellow-creatures 
sin,  should  not  we  then  remember  our  own  trans- 
gressions, and  learn  to  intercede  with  God  for  the 
pardon  of  theirs  ?  Or,  say  that  they  err,  should  we 
not  learn,  from  our  own  ignorance,  to  pity,  and,  in 
the  spirit  of  meekness,  to  teach  them  the  better  way  ? 

*  See  Gibbon's  Hist-""" 


LECTURE   X.  97 

What  though  they  differ  from  us  in  their  opinions, 
yet  still  they  may  be  good  and  well-intentioned  men. 
And  since  there  are  in  heaven  many  mansions,  if  wc 
are  afraid  we  should  not  live  happily  together,  let  us 
allow  (as  we  may  be  sure  God  will  allow)  some  of 
them  to  the  virtuous  of  every  persuasion.  In  the 
important  affair  of  salvation,  we  are  sure  that  none 
would  willingly  be  in  a  mistake ;  and  if  the  error  of 
a  brother  be  involuntary  and  invincible,  he  may  be 
pitied,  but  cannot  surely  be  blamed.  We  ourselves, 
too,  may  be  in  the  wrong,  at  least  in  part,  and  see 
many  truths  but  through  a  glass  darkly.  Meekness, 
therefore,  and  mutual  toleration,  should  make  an  es- 
sential part  of  our  character,  as  ministers  of  mercy, 
and  disciples  of  Jesus ;  and  this  would  prove  the 
strongest  recommendation  of  ourselves  and  of  our  re- 
ligion. 

Three  pilgrims,  a  Jew,  a  Christian,  and  a  Mussul- 
man, set  out  from  Cairo,  with  a  caravan,  in  order 
to  cross  the  desart  to  Salem.  For  the  first  part  of 
the  journey  they  moved  with  the  multitude,  as  a 
drop  in  the  stream,  almost  without  thinking  whither 
they  were  going.  But  reflecting,  at  length,  that 
they  must  perish  if  they  missed  the  way,  they  began 
to  cast  an  anxious  look  before  them,  and  to  explore 
the  paths  of  the  desart.  In  my  opinion,  said  the  Jew, 
we  need  not  long  hesitate  about  our  route :  Yonder, 
4o  the  right,  is  the  pillar  set  up  by  Moses,  who,  as 
everybody  knows,  conducted  thousands  in  safety 
through  this  wilderness  ;  and  our  wisest  course  is  to 
follow  this  land-mark,  which  he  has  set  up  to  direct 
us. — It  is  true  said  the  Mussulman,  Moses  got  safe- 
ly through  this  wilderness,  but  it  was  by  a  route 
which  his  firmest  adherents  must  own  to  be  extreme- 
ly difficult.  For  my  own  part,  I  prefer,  by  much, 
the  path  that  was  trod  by  the  prophet  of  Mecca :  it 
is  distinctly  marked  by  that  pillar  to  the  left,  which 
has  ever  directed  the  steps  of  the  faithful. — I  am  sor- 

O 


IPO  LECTURE   X. 

ry  to  see  both  of  you  mistaken,  said  the  Christian, 
the  one  recommending  a  road  so  tedious  as  to  bft 
now  almost  obsolete,  and  the  other  preferring  a  road 
in  which  there  are  so  many  pits  and  precipices,  and 
in  which  the  sabre  has  been  so  busy,  that  the  steps 
are  slippery  with  the  blood  of  the  murdered.  The 
straight  and  only  safe,  as  well  as  pleasant,  road,  b 
that  which  has  been  marked  by  Jesus,  where  yon- 
der midmost  pillar  rears  it's  head  on  high,  and  meets 
at  a  distance  the  eye  of  the  pilgrim.  Don't  you  per- 
ceive, right  over  it,  the  distant  towers  of  Salem  ? — I 
perceive  them  over  the  pillar  on  the  right,  said  the 
Jew. — And  I  swear  they  are  in  a  line  with  thai 
on  the  left,  said  the  Mussulman. — They  disputed, 
they  grew  warm,  they  quarrelled  ;  each  imagining 
thai  he  could  compel,  by  force,  those  whom  he  could 
not  convince  by  reason. 

In  this  situation,  they  were  overtaken  by  a  vene- 
rable dervise,  who,  learning  the  cause  of  their  differ- 
ence, thus  addressed  them :  "  Children,  you  are  not 
"  wise.  Had  you  changed  your  places,  your  views, 
**  had  also  changed  ;  and,  having  seen  the  cause  of 
"  your  misunderstanding,  you  had  all  been  reconci- 
a  led.  Besides,  the  city  of  Salem  is  so  great,  that 
**  a  part  of  it,  like  the  horizon,  may  be  seen  over 
"  each  of  the  pillars ;  and  it  is  possible  that  thou- 
a  sands,  who  took  the  direct  line  by  each,  have 
sc  found  their  way.  For  my  own  part,  I  have  known 

*  many  well  meaning  people  who,  having  no    oppor- 

*  tunity  of  knowing  any  of  these  roads,  took  a  dif- 

*  ferent  course  from  all,  and  I  am  far  from  doubt- 
"  ing  of  their  safety  ;  for  that,  depends  not  only  on 
u  the  way,  but,  in  some  measure,  on  the  prudence 

*  and  care  of  the  pilgrim.  It  is  impossible,  howe- 
H  ver,  that  all  these  roads  should  be  equally  safe  and 

commodious,  or  that  it  should  be  a  matter  of  in- 
'-'  difference  which  of  them  is  chosen.  I  have  been 
*$.  considering  them  long,  and  comparing  the  differ- 


LECTURE    X.  09 

*•  eni  accounts  and  charts  of  them,  as  every  man 
u  ought  in  a  matter  of  such  infinite  moment.  For 
%i  I  hold  no  man  is  at  liberty  to  take  what  way  he 
4<  pleases,  and  hazard  his  life,  without  weighing  the 

*  evidence  in  favour  of  each,  and  using  his  reason 
"  to  enable  him  to  make  the  wisest  choice.  I  have 
u  done  so  with  care,  and  my  observations  I  give  3*011. 
"  The  road  by  the  pillar  to  the  right  was  once  the 
u  best  and  safest  in  the  world,  but  it  has  been  for  a 
"  long  time  neglected,  and  is  now  much  out  of  re- 
u  pair.  That  by  the  left  was  at  first  extremely  foul, 
"  nor  is  it  yet  such  as  could  be  wished  :  it  has,  how- 
<c  ever,  somethings  to  recommend  it.  Five  times  a 
u  day  the  travellers  are  admonished  by  public  criers, 
"  to  pray  for  the  guidance  of  heaven  ;  and  all  give 
"  such  punctual  obedience,  that  they  seem  to  emu- 
"  late  each  other  in  piety.  On  this  road,  too,  there 
i(  is  much  accommodation  for  the  weak  and  needy. 
"  I  dare  not  therefore  reprobate,  though  I  pity,  all 
"  who  choose  it  ;  it  is  because  they  know  no  better 

*  path. — But  the  way  by  the  midmost  pillar  is,  in 

*  every  respect,  the  straightest,  the  safest,  and  the 
"  most  pleasant.  On  this  road,  at  almost  every  step, 
u  palm-trees  shade,  and  fountains  refresh  the  pilgrim  :. 
"  And  did  they  who  enter  upon  it  follow  the  direc- 
"  tions  inscribed  upon  the  pillar  and  the  chart  with 
u  which  they  are  furnished,  every  other  path  would 
"  soon  be  forsaken.  But,  instead  of  this,  multitudes 
u  turn  aside  into  bye-paths  on  the  right  and  on  the 
14  left,  and,  for  some  trifles  which  attract  their  notice, 
"  forget  to  proceed  on  their  journey.  Even  they 
46  who  remain  on  the  road  too  often  spend  their 
4i  time  in  quarrels  and  contentions,  almost  equally 
*•  fatal  ;  some  alleging  that  all  ought  to  walk  on 
u  this  side  of  the  road,  while  others  contend  they 
"  ought  to  walk  on  that ;  some  searching  for  the 
*■  track  of  this,  and  others  of  that  predecessor,  and 

*  each  alleging  it  is  death  to  tread  any  other  part 


100  LECTURE    X. 

a  of  that  fair  and  beautiful  road  which  is  open  be- 
et  fore  them.  By  these  unhappy  means,  the  im- 
"  mense  crowd  which  enters  it,  is  perpetually  thin- 
"  ned  as  it  proceeds;  and  but  the  few,  who  study 
'*  only  to  be  on  the  road,  and  to  advance  in  it,  reach 
"  the  end  of  the  journey.  This,  you  may  perceive, 
"  is  the  way  which  I  myself  intend  to  pursue  ;  and 
"  I  intend  to  do  it  with  all  my  might,  keeping  my 
"  eye  upon  the  chart,  without  searching  for  the  track 
"  of  Peter,  of  Martin,  or  of  John.  If  you  can  think 
"  as  I  do,  and  come  with  me,  it  will  give  me  plea- 
"  sure  ;  if  not,  we  shall  part  in  peace,  for  why 
"  should  we  quarrel,  or  contend  with  any  weapons 
"  but  those  of  reason?  And,  indeed,  when  in  our 
ie  education,  reading,  habits  of  life,  company  and 
i:  constitution,  there  must  be  so  much  difference, 
"  how  can  it  be  expected  that  our  opinions  should 
"  entirely  be  the  same?  God  knows  our  frame,  and 
"  knows  that  if  any  one  of  us  had  been  in  the 
Ci  place  and  circumstances  of  the  other,  he  must, 
a  perhaps,  have  had  his  opinions  too.  He  knows  that 
u  we  all  wish  to  take  the  course  which  is  safest  to 
"  ourselves,  and,  of  course,  most  pleasing  to  him, 
'•  since  none  of  us,  I  trust,  would  wilfully  and  know- 
"  ingly  run  the  hazard  of  perishing  in  thedesart. — 
"  Judge,  therefore,  my  brethren,  of  each  other's 
<;  conduct  with  candour.  Let  each  be  persuaded,  in 
"  his  own  mind,  that  he  does  what  is  best,  and, 
il  whatever  road  he  takes,  (after  carefully  examining 
€i  and  comparing  them)  keep  bent  on  getting  forward 
C(  to  the  end  of  his  journey.  Then  we  may  possibly 
"  arrive,  all  of  us  in  due  time,  where  we  wish  ;  and 
"  talk  of  the  difference  of  the  roads  when  we  meet  at 
"  Salem." 

Struck  with  the  meekness  of  his  temper,  and  the 
moderation  of  his  sentiments,  all  the  three  blushed 
for  having  quarrelled,  and,  by  the  way  of  the  mid 
most  pillar,  unanimously  followed  the  dcrvise. 


LECTURE  XI. 


The  same  Subject  continued, — Meekness  and  Lowli- 
ness of  Mind. 


THE  calm,  meek,  and  dispassionate  frame  of  mind, 
which  I  have  been  urging,  is  so  essential  to  our  cha 
racter,  my  brethren,  that  I  cannot  help  recommend- 
ing it  further,  by  calling  your  attention  to  rest  on 
the  vast  benefits  that  attend  it.  Sufficient,  indeed, 
are  these  to  recommend  it  to  the  warmest  regard  of 
every  attentive  mind.  Possessed  of  meekness,  the  ar- 
rogance and  pride  of  men  cannot  hurt  us ;  their  per- 
verse and  peevish  humours,  and  all  the  fruits  of  a 
bitter  spirit,  cannot  harm  us.  Possessed  of  meek- 
ness, we  secure  the  favour  of  the  good,  we  conquer 
the  malice  of  the  bad,  we  bear  the  infirmities  of  the 
wreak,  and  with  all  long-suffering  teach  the  ignorant. 
Possessed  of  meekness,  whatever  be  the  provocation, 
we  keep  the  quiet  enjoyment  of  ourselves,  and  sup- 
press every  thought  that  has  a  tendency  to  awaken 
our  angry  passions.  In  a  word,  possessed  of  this 
grace,  we  derive  most  pleasure  from  all  the  enjoy- 
ments of  life,  and  feel  least  pain  from  all  it's  evils ; 
and,  after  having  thus  inherited  the  earth,  we  have 
a  principal  qualification  for  being  members  of  that 
glorious  and  blessed  society  above,  of  which  Jesus, 
the  great  pattern  of  meekness,  is  the  head  and  mas- 
ter-. 

Meekness  is  further  of  excellent  use  in  regulating: 
our  deportment  towards  God,  as  well  as  man  ;  as  it 
enables  us  to  acquiesce,  and  even  to  rejoice,  in  all  the 
dispensations  of  heaven,  and  to  maintain  a  calm, 


102  LECTURE   XI. 

contented,  and  thankful  frame  of  soul,  under  every 
visitation  of  providence,  and  in  every  commotion  of 
nature.  Thus,  under  the  severest  trials,  Aaron  held 
his  peace,  Eli  bowed  his  head,  and  the  Shunamite 
said,  It  is  well.  And  thus,  too,  in  circumstances  of 
terror  and  alarm,  other  meek  and  holy  men  have 
always  stood  undaunted.  As  the  hermit  Oran  sat 
one  day  at  the  door  of  his  cell,  over  the  village  of 
Ara,  he  perceived  the  face  of  the  heavens  assume  a  ter- 
rible form,  and  looked  up  with  a  smile,  in  hopes  of 
seeing  the  signs  which  are  to  precede  the  final  judg- 
ment. The  rains  descended,  the  winds  arose,  the 
lightnings  played,  the  thunder  roared,  and  the  earth- 
quake shook  all  the  hills  about  him.  The  inhabi- 
tants of  the  village,  apprehending  the  dissolution  of 
nature,  flocked  around  the  holy  man,  in  hopes  of 
deriving  security  from  his  prayers,  or  consolation 
from  his  presence  and  from  his  counsel.  They  saw 
with  astonishment  the  serenity  of  his  countenance, 
and  stood  about  him  in  silence,  while  he  thus  calmly 
addressed  them  :  "  Terrible  to  me,  as  to  you,  would 
u  have  been  this  rage  of  the  elements,  if  my  peace 
■"  were  not  made  with  him  who  rules  them.  But 
'"  my  soul  is  conformed  to  his,  and  waits  his  will  in 

*  the  spirit  of  meekness.  Go  ye,  my  friends,  and 
i;  learn  the  same  frame  of  mind,  and  then  you  will 
ec  rather  confide  in  the  goodness,    than  dread  the 

*  power,  of  your  Maker.  For,  infinite  as  thy  pow- 
"  er  is,  O  my  God,  so  is  also  thy  goodness ;  and  the 
"  meek  may  look  for  thy  mercy." 

Such,  my  brethren,  is  the  necessity  and  benefit  of 
meekness  ;  and  equally  needful  is  that  lowliness  of 
mind  which  our  Saviour  recommends  along  with  it. 
It  is  the  true  foundation  of  all  union  and  intercourse 
between  God  and  the  soul  of  man.  He  dwelleth  with 
the  humble  and  contrite ;  he  giveth  grace  to  the  hum- 
ble. If  the  heavens  are  the  habitations  of  his  glory, 
the  humble  heart  is  the  habitation  of  his  grace. 


tfcCTURE    XL  I0& 

Humility,  my  brethren,  is  highly  becoming  the 
nature  of  man,  still  more  so  the  profession  of  a  chris- 
tian, and  most  of  all  the  character  of  a  minister  of 
the  gospel,  whose  office  frequently  leads  him  to  con- 
template the  holiness  of  God,  and  to  meditate  on  his 
awful  perfections.  Such  views  have  a  natural  ten- 
dency to  fill  him  with  self-abasement,  and  with  a  feel- 
ing conviction  of  his  own  ignorance,  guilt,  and  mi- 
sery. So,  when  Isaiah  heheld  the  stupendous  glory 
of  God,  and  saw  his  train  fill  the  temple,  he  imme- 
diately cried  out,  "  Woe  is  me,  I  am  struck  dumb : 
"  for  I  am  a  man  of  unclean  lips,  and  mine  eyes 
*  have  seen  the  King,  the  Lord  God  of  hosts." 

If,  from  the  contemplation  of  the  nature  and  per- 
fections of  God,  we  turn  our  eyes  upon  ourselves, 
and  consider  the  ignorance  and  guilt  of  our  souls,  or 
the  feebleness  and  frailty  of  our  bodies,  what  a  hum- 
bling view  must  we  have  of  ourselves  !  How  little  do 
we  know  of  matter  or  spirit,  of  God  or  of  his  works, 
of  any  thing  within  us  or  without  us,  save  that  our 
mind  is  dark,  our  soul  polluted,  and  our  body  crush- 
ed before  the  very  worm.  Or,  if  we  cast  our  eyes 
around  us,  and  consider  how  transient  and  insignifi- 
cant, or  even  accidental,  those  circumstances  are,  in 
which  the  highest  of  mankind  differ  from  the  lowest, 
and  examine  the  little  influence  they  generally  have 
on  a  man's  real  happiness,  we  shall  soon  perceive  that 
there  is  very  little  cause,  indeed,  to  be  proud  or  vain 
of  them.  In  every  thing  that  is  truly  material,  the 
confirmation  of  the  soul,  the  fashion  of  the  body, 
the  exigencies  of  both,  all  mankind  are  altogether 
on  a  level.  And  if  in  any  other  thing  worth  the 
mentioning,  they  differ,  that  difference  is  small,  and 
of  short  continuance.  At  their  birth  and  at  their 
death,  at  least,  the  subject  and  the  sovereign,  the 
king  and  the  beggar,  are  equal :  and,  to  immortal, 
everlasting  creatures,  any  momentary  difference  that 
«an  happen  between  these  two  points,  is  not  worth 


104  LECTURE    XL 

the  minding.  That  an  immortal  being,  walking  in 
the  narrow  line  which  separates  heaven  from  hell, 
should  have  his  thoughts,  for  one  moment,  taken  up 
with  any  such  thing,  is  so  melancholy  a  considera- 
tion, that  it  might  serve  of  itself  to  humble  the 
thoughts  of  any  man,  and  to  bring  down  his  haughty 
looks*. 

By  such  meditations,  therefore,  let  us  cultivate 
humility, — a  virtue  of  the  first  excellence,  and  of  the 
most  indispensible  obligation  ;  the  first  requisite  in 
the  profession  of  our  religion,  and  the  root  from 
which  all  other  graces  naturally  spring.  For,  as  it 
implies  a  sense  of  our  guilt  and  unworthiness,  it  leads 
us  to  repent  and  fear  God ;  as  it  implies  a  sense  of  our 
obligations  to  him,  and  our  veneration  of  him,  it 
leads  to  love,  praise  and  adore  him  ;  and  as  it  im- 
plies the  esteem  of  others  better  than  ourselves,  it 
leads  to  the  duties  of  self-government,  and  to  the  per- 
formance of  all  relative  duties.  Nor  does  it  lead  to 
duty  only,  but  also  to  honour.  The  man  that  hum- 
bleth himself,  his  fellow  creatures  generally,  his  ma- 
ker always,  delighteth  to  honour.  The  spirit  of  God 
will  dwell  with  him,  angels  will  visit  and  attend  him, 
and  the  great  Pattern  of  humility  will  patronize  and 
bless  him. 

lie  that  cxalteth  himself  shall  be  abased,  but  he  that 
Jnimbleth  himself  shall  be  exalted,  was,  of  all  our  Sa- 
viour's maxims,  the  oftenest  repeated,  find  that  which 
was  most  strongly  inculcated  by  the  significant  em- 
blem of  a  little  child,  and  by  the  still  more  expres- 
sive figure  of  his  condescending  to  wash  the  feet  of 
his  disciples.  The  plainness,  innocence,  and  simpli- 
city of  children,  is  here  required  of  us  y  and  a  rea- 
dy and  cheerful  condescension  to  the  meanest  offices 
of  benevolence  to  the  meanest  of  our  brethren.  And 
with  good  reason  is  this  humility  so  strongly  enfor- 

*  See  Leechman's  Sermons.. 


LECTURE   XI.  105 

ced,  considering  that  no  grace  has  a  greater  tenden- 
cy to  make  us  holy,  and,  of  course,  happy  ;  as  no 
vice  is  more  subversive  of  every  tiling  that  is  good 
than  pride.  Should  all  the  showers  of  heaven  alight 
on  the  lofty  mountain,  they  rest  not  there.  They 
hasten  from  it's  barren  top  to  bless  the  valley  with 
fertility  and  verdure.  What  the  showers  are  to  the 
valley,  grace  is  to  the  lowly  soul.  It  seeks  to  it, 
rests  upon  it,  refreshes,  beautifies,  and  makes  it  fruit- 
ful. And,  if  humility  be  thus  useful  and  ornamen- 
tal to  ordinary  christians,  it  is  much  more  so  to  a 
minister.  The  very  name  which  he  bears  (for  you 
know  it  means  a  servant)  implies,  that,  without  this 
grace  he  is  unworthy  of  the  title. 

Yes,  my  brethren,  we  are,  without  this  grace,  un  - 
worthy  of  the  name,  and  unqualified  for  the  duties 
of  our  office.  For  our  business  is  to  lay  ourselves 
out  in  serving  our  people  in  their  truest  interest,  and 
in  furthering  the  salvation  of  their  souls.  And,  in 
doing  this,  we  must  have  equal  regard  to  all  com- 
mitted to  our  care ;  for  we  stand  in  the  same  rela- 
tion to  them  all.  We  should  have  no  hatred  but  to 
vice,  no  prepossession  but  to  virtue.  Every  other  dis- 
tinction is  vain  and  momentary ;  and,  however  daz- 
zling to  the  children  of  the  world,  should  be  of  no 
account  with  us,  in  whose  eyes  a  vile  man,  however 
rich,  should  be  contemned,  and  a  holy  man,  however 
poor,  should  be  esteemed  and  honoured.  No  other 
distinction  is  regarded  by  our  Master,  nor  will  any 
other  hold  in  the  world  to  which  we  hasten.  The 
souls  of  the  lowest  are  as  dear  to  Jesus  as  those 
of  the  highest ;  for  he  regardeth  not  the  rich  more  than 
the  poor.  To  us  too,  in  our  ministerial  capacity, 
fhey  ought  to  be  the  same.  I  charge  thee,  before  God 
and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  elect  angels,  says 
the  apostle  to  Timothy,  that  thou  observe  these  things, 
doing  nothing  by  partiality.  As  men,  or  members  of 
©ivfl  society,  indeed,  it  becomes  us  to  give,  and  to  in- 


10(5  LECTURE   XI. 

culcate  upon  others  to  give,  honour  to  whom  honour, 
and  fear  to  xvhomfear  is  due,  according  to  the  subor- 
dination of  ranks,  which  in  this,  and,  probably,  in  all 
other  worlds,  must  hokh  But,  as  ministers,  having 
the  cure  of  souls,  we  ought,  I  say,  in  our  care  and 
regard  of  those  souls,  to  make  no  difference  on  ac- 
count of  outward  condition.  Riches*  rank,  and  ta- 
lents, arc  but  the  pitiful  distinctions  of  a  moment,and 
of  no  account  in  the  sight  of  God,  who  regards  only 
our  measure  of  holiness  and  moral  excellence.  In 
other  respects,  all  souls  are,  with  him,  rated  at  the 
same  price,  and  ransomed  alike  by  the  precious  blood 
of  his  dear  Son.  In  our  estimation,  therefore,  they 
should  be  held  alike  dear.  When  the  humblest  soul 
needs  counsel  or  consolation,  let  him  not  be  afraid 
to  break  in  upon  our  study  and  retirement  to  ask 
it.*  Let  him  not  be  afraid  to  make  known  his  case 
to  his  pastor,  nor  doubt  of  finding  in  him  a  tender 
and  sympathising  friend ;  one  wrho  will  take  a  fa- 
therly concern  in  all  his  joys  and  sorrows,  and  to- 
whom  he  may  safely  unbosom  the  most  secret  thoughts 
of  his  souk  Let  him  be  encouraged  to  come,  in  e- 
very  time  and  place,  and  his  visits  held  always  sea- 
sonable and  acceptable.  So  Jesus  himself  received 
Nicodemus,  when  he  came  by  night. 

Thus,  my  brethren,  let  us  neither  reject  the  appli* 
cation  of  the  afflicted,  nor  turn  away  our  face  from  a 
'poor  man.  Let  us  lend  a  tender  ear  to  the  doubts  and 
fears  of  the  young  and  timid  convert,  and  listen  a- 
gain  to  the  same  complaint  which  we  have  formerly 
heard  from  the  weak,  though  perhaps  old,  believer. 
If  thev  are  unwearied  in  asking,  shall  not  we  be  un- 


*  Cura  ut  aditus  ad  te  diurni  atque  nocturni  pateant  i 
nee  foribus  solum  tedium  tuarum,  sed  etiam  vultu  ac  fronte, 
qmc  est  auimi  janua  ;  quae,  si  signiflcat  voluntatem  abditam 
esse  ac  retrusam,  parvi  refert  patere  ostium.     Q.  Cicero><& 

pdit.  consilad  M.  Tull.  f rat  rem. 


LECTURE   XI.  1Q7 

wearied  in  showing  the  road  to  glory  and  immortal- 
ity? Yes,  with  unceasing  ardour  and  diligence,  let 
us  endeavour  to  recover  them,  from  vice  and  misery, 
to  holiness  and  ha ppinrss  ;  show  theta  heaven  open, 
and  encourage  them  to  make  every  exertion  to  get 
forward.  Let  us  hear  patiently  with  all  their  igno- 
rance, and  all  their  weakness.  To  show  ourselves 
sullen  or  impatient  on  such  occasions,  is  to  turn  that 
which  is  lame  out  of  the  way,  and  to  push the  diseas- 
ed, which  ought  rather  id  be  healed.  The  good  pas- 
tor, like  the  great  shepherd,  will  he  patient,  meek, 
and  lowly,  towards  all  ;  hut  will  be  peculiarly  tender 
of  the  young  and  weak.  lie  will  carry  the  lambs  in 
his  bosom,  and  gently  had  those  that  are  with  young. 
We  see,  then,  my  brethren,  the  indispensible  ne- 
cessity of  those  divine  graces  which  our  master 
calls  upon  us  to  learn  of  him.  And  of  whom  else  can 
we  learn  them  to  any  good  purpose?  Heathen  mora- 
lists said  little  or  nothing  about  them ;  and  even  the 
law  given  to  the  Jews,  because  of  the  hardness  of 
that  people's  hearts,  allowed  but  little  room  to  them. 
But  Christ  made  them  the  basis  of  Christian  morals, 
and  gave,  in  himself,  the  most  perfect  pattern  of 
them,  for  the  imitation  of  his  followers.  For,  al- 
though Lord  of  all,  he  became  the  servant  of  all ; 
and,  notwithstanding  the  many  provocations  which 
he  met  with,  and  the  indignities  offered  him,  none  of 
them  ever  ruffled  or  discomposed  him.  Moses  was 
very  meek,  above  all  the  men  that  were  upon  the  face 
of  the  earth,  yet  the  perverse  people  with  whom  he 
had  to  do,  so  provoked  his  spirit,  that  he  spake  un- 
advisedly with  his  lips.  The  same  people  offered  in- 
finitely greater  indignities  to  our  Lord,  without 
kindling  in  him  the  least  angry  sentiment.  When  ca- 
lumniated as  the  companion  of  sinners,  how  meek 
his  reply  !  When  slandered  as  a  confederate  with  de- 
vils, how  calm  his  reasoning !  When  treated  with 
rudeness  by  the  Samaritans,  how  mild  his  spirit !  How 


108  LECTURE   XI. 

patiently  did  he  endure  the  contradiction  of  sinners,  the 
persecution  of  enemies,  and  the  weakness  of  friends  ! 
Above  all,  how  patiently  did  he  bear  the  dishonour, 
and  shame,  and  pain  of  the  cross  ;  enduring  at  once 
the  agonies  of  death,  and  the  scorn  of  sinners,  with- 
out the  shadow  of  discomposure  !  When  reviled,  he 
reviled  not  again  ;  when  he  suffered,  he  threatened 
not !  but  prayed,  and  pleaded,  even  for  his  crucifiers. 
He  was  oppressed,  and  he  was  afflicted,  yet  he  opened 
not  his  mouth.  He  was  brought  as  a  lamb  to  the  slaugh- 
ter, and  as  a  sheep  before  hej*  shearers  is  dumb,  so  he 
opened  not  his  mouth. — After  his  blessed  example,  let 
us,  my  brethren,  show  all  long  suffering,  patience, 
and  meekness.  Let  us  remember  what  spirit  we  are 
of,  and  what  master  we  profess  to  follow.  Let  us 
show  the  world  our  proficiency  in  the  school  of  the 
meek  and  lowly  Jesus*  that  we  may,  at  the  great 
day,  be  owned  by  him  as  his  true  disciples.  And 
let  us  always  bear  in  mind,  that,  whatever  maybe 
our  other  gifts  and  graces,  we  have  no  pretensions 
to  this  character  without  lowliness  and  meekness. 
For  a  proud  or  passionate  man  cannot  be  related  to 
Jesus,  nor  please  God,  if,  by  his  ministerial  gifts, 
he  should  be  able  to  cast  out  devils.  No,  he  rather 
offends  God,  and  hurts  man :  he  poisons  even  the 
cup  of  salvation,  by  mingling  with  a  part  of  his  own 
ungracious  spirit. 


LECTURE  XII. 


That  a  Minister  of  the  Gospel  should  be   a  Man  of 
Zeal  and  Diligence. 


HE  who  loves  God  and  the  souls  of  men,  and  who 
duly  values  the  blessings  of  the  gospel,  will  feel  a 
necessity  laid  upon  him,  and  the  love  of  God  con- 
straining him,  to  teach  the  way  of  salvation  to  others. 
He  will,  like  the  prophet  of  Anathoth,  feel  a  zeal  for 
this  in  his  heart,  as  a  burning  fire  shut  up  in  his  bones*, 
which  a  tender  concern  for  the  souls  of  men,  whom 
he  wishes  to  rescue  from  endless  misery,  and  to  put 
in  the  way  to  everlasting  happiness,  makes  it  impos- 
sible for  him  to  restrain.  He  feels  his  whole  soul 
going  forth  with  irresistible  force,  impelling  him  to 
dedicate  his  life  and  his  labours  to  the  saving  of  souls, 
and  to  the  service  of  the  gospel.  Yes,  my  brethren, 
to  a  life  of  study,  piety  and  prayer,  and  to  all  pos- 
sible care  to  regulate  his  conduct  and  his  temper,  a 
faithful  minister  will  join  an  earnest  zeal  for  saving 
sinners.  This  will  always  be  the  ruling  passion 
in  his  breast,  of  which  every  consideration  of  plea- 
sure, ease  and  interest,  will  ever  yield.  Without 
this,  all  his  talents,  be  they  what  they  may,  would 
answer  no  useful  end.  Without  this,  even  his  mo- 
rals would  be  irreproachable  to  little  or  no  purpose. 
To  live  a  regular  and  inoffensive  life,  in  the  eyes  of 
the  world,  may  be  the  chief  praise  of  most  other 
men,  but  it  should  be  the  least  of  ours.  For  none  of 
us  liveth  unto  himself  We  must  therefore,  have  our 
hearts  penetrated   with  the  strongest  zeal  for  saving 

*  Jer,  xx.  9, 


UO  LFXTURE  XIL 

the  flocks  committed  to  our  care,  and  feel  our  souls 
deeply  wounded  at  seeing  any  of  them  about  to  be 
lost.  We  must  make  every  exertion,  strain  every 
nerve,  to  rescue  them  from  their  fatal  bondage,  to 
pluck  them  as  brands  out  of  the  burning,  to  exhort, 
conjure,  reprove  and  rebuke  them,  in  season  and  out 
of  season  ;  becoming,  as  far  as  innocence  and  duty 
will  allow,  alt  things  to  all  men,  that  their  souls  may 
be  saved  in  the  day  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  Nothing 
short  of  this  can  give  us  any  chance  of  success  in  the 
great  work  in  which  we  are  engaged,  or  any  chance 
of  being  approved  by  our  Lord,  on  that  day  on 
which  he  will  call  us  to  give  an  account  of  our  stew- 
ardship. 

If  we,  my  brethren,  are  satisfied  with  being  only 
just  and  regular  in  our  conduct,  and  think  it  enough 
to  discountenance  vice  by  our  practice,  or  even  gent- 
ly reprove  it  by  our  conversation,  what  do  tee  mora 
than  others  ?  In  all  this,  many  private  christians, 
without  the  peculiar  engagements,  or  advantages  of 
our  calling,  equal,  or,  perhaps,  exceed  us.  And  if 
we  differ  from  them  in  nothing  but  in  the  discharge 
of  those  public  duties  which  our  office  indispensably 
requires  of  us,  we  greatly  betray  our  trust,  and,  of 
consequence,  we  are  not  the  friends,  but  the  foes  of 
our  people.  Then  we  are,  in  a  negative  sense  at 
least,  the  instruments,  not  of  their  salvation,  but  of 
their  eternal  ruin.  Our  false  unfeeling  virtue  is  a 
crime,  and  our  drowsy  morals  a  lethargic  disease,  fa- 
tal to  ourselves,  dangerous  to  others,  and  detestable 
to  God.  Careless  keepers  of  the  vineyard,  we  show 
no  watchfulness  or  zeal  to  keep  the  enemy  from 
breaking  down  it's  fences.  Unfaithful  and  untender 
pastors  of  the  church,  which  the  son  of  God  purcha- 
sed with  his  own  precious  blood,  we  only  look  to 
ourselves,  and  neither  lead  our  sheep  to  proper  pas- 
tures, nor  protect  them  from  the  lion  ready  to  devour. 
False  servants  of  the  jae^ t  iiish,  we  are  unconcerned 


LECTURE    XII.  Ill 

about  promoting  his  glory  or  advancing  his  interest 
in  the  world.  Careless  ambassadors  for  Christ,  we 
show  no  zeal  in  his  cause,  nor  any  concern  to  fill 
op  what  is  behind  of  his  sufferings,  by  rendering; th* 
shedding  of  his  blood  effectual  for  the  salvation  ot 
the  souls  committed  to  our  care.  On  the  contrary, 
by  our  silence  and  insensibility  (if  these  indeed  be- 
long to  us,)  we  give  our  approbation  to  those  who 
reproach  him,  and  consent  to  the  crime  of  those  who 
crucified  the  Lord  of  glory. 

Can  we  think,  my  brethren,  that  God,  who  will 
have  his  ministers  to  be  flaming  fire,  will  excuse  our 
inactivity  and  indolence  in  the  duties  of  our  calling 
on  account  of  the  regularity  of  our  manners?  Has 
lie  called  us  to  his  vineyard  only  to  stand  still  and 
do  no  harm?  Or  can  we,  in  the  approaching  even 
ing,  expect  the  reward  of  faithful  servants,  "merely 
for  having  done  no  positive  mischief?  No,  my  bre- 
thren, let  us  not  deceive  ourselves,  God  will  not  be 
mocked.  He  has  called  us  to  work,  and  not  to 
stand  idle :  and  our  personal  virtue  will  only  aggraf- 
vate  our  condemnation,  for  having  deprived  our 
people  of  the  advantage  of  our  zeal,  which  only 
could  have  given  weight  and  usefulness  to  our  vir- 
tue. For  virtue,  lukewarm  and  without  zeal,  will 
only  serve  to  countenance  our  people  in  their  cold- 
ness and  indifference.  Our  example  may  teach  them 
somewhat  of  regularity  and  decency,  in  which  they 
will  easily  believe  they  need  not  come  up  to  us.  Our 
public  ministrations  they  will  consider  as  matters  of 
form,  when  they  see  us  have  no  zeal  that  corresponds 
to  their  real  or  apparent  importance.  In  a  word, 
they  will  believe  we  are  far  from  being  in  earnest, 
and  that  they  need  be  much  less  so.  And  thus,  for 
want  of  zeal,  the  stream  which  ought  to  fertilize  the 
valley,  will  become  a  stagnant  pool,  and  taint  all 
around  with  it's  corruption. 

Even  in  an  ordinary  christian,  there  cannot  be  a 


112  LECTt'RE   XII, 

surer  symtom  of  destruction  than  an  easy  indifferent 
east  of  mind,  or  a  listless  indolent  disposition.  This 
will  more  effectually  ruin  the  soul  than  all  the  cares 
of  the  world,  and  all  the  wild  schemes  of  ambition. 
For,  the  first  benumbs  and  kills  the  powers  of  the 
soul,  while  the  last  preserve  it?s  vigour  and  activity, 
and  so  give  it  some  small  chance  of  taking,  perhaps, 
some  time  or  other,  a  better  direction.  And  if  in- 
dolence or  want  of  zeal  be  so  dangerous  in  an  ordi- 
nary christian,  what  must  it  be  in  a  minister  ? — A 
minister  without  zeal,  is  dead,  however  much  he  may 
appear  to  live.  Zeal  is  that  principle  that  should 
pervade  all  his  life,  animate  all  his  labours,  sweeten 
all  his  toils,  and,  in  a  word,  be  the  life  and  soul  of 
his  ministry.  Without  this,  all  his  services  are  hate- 
ful to  God,  useless  to  man,  burdensome  and  uncom- 
fortable to  himself.  He  may  sometimes,  indeed,  draw 
near  to  God,  but  it  is  with  a  cold  heart  and  frozen 
lips,  the  lifeless  carcase,  the  mere  carrion  of  devotion, 
God  will,  therefore,  neither  accept  his  person  nor 
hear  his  prayers.  For  God  is  a  Spirit,  and  they  that 
worship  him,  must  worship  him  in  spirit  and  in  truth. 
Such  a  person  may  likewise,  in  the  dull  course  of 
his  duty,  admonish  sinners,  in  a  cold,  lifeless,  and  lan- 
guid strain  but  he  will  admonish  them  without  effect. 
Such  soft  whispers  will  never  awaken  the  sleeping  sin- 
ner, nor  rouse  him  to  a  sense  of  his  danger.  It  is  not 
the  yawn  of  the  sluggard  that  can  do  this,  but  the  trum- 
pet of  the  gospel  powerfully  sounded.  The  rustling 
of  the  leaf  can  never  accomplish  that  which  requires 
the  roar  of  the  thunder. 

But  you  will  perhaps  excuse  yourself,  my  brother, 
from  this  exertion,  by  alleging  it  would  be  to  no 
purpose, ^on  account  of  the  hardness  and  insensibility 
of  the  people.  Hard,  insensible,  and  unimpressible 
by  sacred  truths,  alas  !  they  too  often  are.  But  this, 
instead  of  damping,  should  rather  increase  your  ar- 
dour, and  animate  your  zeal.     For  true  zeal  considi 


LECTURE  XII.  113 

rrs  all  opposition  but  as  fuel  to  augment  it's  flame. 
It  is  like  a  strong  current,  whose  force  increases  the 
more  it  is  straitened  and  confined.  Mark  how  this 
sacred  passion  operated  in  the  prophets  and  apostles 
of  old.  Mark  how.thc  zeal  of  Moses  kindled,  when 
all  his  people  bowed  to  the  golden  calf;  how  the  zeal 
of  Elijah  flamed,  when  he  thought  all  Israel  had  for* 
taken  the  true  God  and  gone  after  Baal  ;  and  how 
Paul  and  Barnabas  waxed  bold,  when  the  Jews  spake 
against  them,  contradicting  and  blaspheming.  And 
did  the  other  apostles  of  our  Lord,  when  the  stream 
of  opposition  rolled  against  them,  put  their  hands  in 
their  bosom,  sit  still,  yield  to  it's  fury,  and  allow 
themselves  tamely  to  be  borne  down  by  the  torrent  ? 
If  they  had,  where  had  been  their  successes?  where 
their  triumphs  ?  If  the  faithful  witnesses  of  Jesus 
had  not  confessed  him  when  others  denied  him, 
where  had  been  their  crowns  ;  and  where  our  holy 
religion  ?  But  they  distinguished  themselves  on  earth, 
and  they  are  now  distinguished  in  heaven.  They 
stand  before  the  throne,  and  before  the  Lamb,  cloth- 
ed with  white  robes,  and  palms  in  their  hands,the  re 
ward  of  their  fidelity.  And  shall  not  we,  my  bre- 
thren, have  the  sacred  ambition  of  emulating  their 
zeal,  and  sharing  in  their  glory,  especially  when  this 
ambition  will  not  expose  us  to  any  imminent  danger  ? 
For  we  are  not  called,  like  them,  to  resist  unto  blood : 
We  need  not  be  afraid  of  dying  martyrs  to  the  cause 
of  God.  The  best  are  still  on  our  side,  and  the  laws 
of  our  country  spread  their  wings  to  protect  us.  But 
even  to  this  sanctuary  persecution  will  not  drive  us. 
The  lash  of  tongues,  it's  only  engine  in  our  happy 
land,  can  only  beat  the  air ;  one  hair  of  our  head  it 
cannot  destroy.  And,  bad  as  the  times  are,  vice  is 
still  ashamed,  and  piety  esteemed,  under  a  zealous 
and  faithful  ministry. 

Or,  suppose  the  worst,  and  say  that  it  were  not, 
vet,  even  in  this  unhappy  case,    vou  ought  not  to 


IM  IX  C  T 13 II F.  XIL 

abate  your  zeal,  or  slacken  your  diligence.  If  the 
people  under  you  are  so  very  wicked,  you  should  be- 
lieve that  God,  in  compassion  to  their  souls,  called 
you  forth  to  check  their  wickedness,  and  to  awaken 
them  to  a  sense  of  their  crimes.  Your  zeal,  like  that 
of  Moses,  on  the  occasion  above  alluded  to,  should 
6c  kindled  in  proportion  to  the  greatness  of  the  crimes 
of  your  people,  and  the  multitude  which  it  has  to 
encounter  and  restrain.  Think  how  Moses,  Elijah, 
or  St.  Paul,  would  act  in  such  a  situation,  and  aim 
thou  at  being  like  them.  Think  how  the  whole 
world  was  corrupted,  when  the  first  ministers  went 
forth  to  reform  it,  and  yet  they  were  not  discouraged. 
They  were  brought  before  kings  and  rulers,  syna- 
gogues and  sanhedrims,  yet  they  were  not  dismayed. 
They  had  trials  of  cruel  mockings,  and  scourgings, 
and  bonds  and  imprisonments  :  and  yet  their  zeal, 
like  lire  which  one  attempts  to  drown  with  oil.  burned 
still  the  brighter  the  more  that  fury  and  reproach 
were  poured  upon  it.  Their  zeal  was  stronger  than 
death,  and  by  no  flood  of  opposition  could  it  be  ex- 
tinguished. And  are  we  called  forth  to  stand  in  the 
room  of  such  worthies,  and  to  maintain  the  conquests 
which  they  have  won,  and  shall  we  betray  our  trust, 
desert  our  post,  and  like  cowards,  give  up  or  neglect 
the  cause  of  God  ?  Cod,  and  a  regard  to  our  own 
salvation,  forbid  it !  Sworn,  as  we  solemnly  are,  to 
feed  the  flock  of  Christ  with  knowledge,  and  with 
truth,  and  to  devote  our  labours  and  our  lives  to  the 
work  of  the  ministry,  let  us  constantly  and  zealously 
pursue  this  as  our  sole  business,  that  we  may  not  be 
found,  in  that  day,  to  have  perjured  our  own  souls, 
and  to  have  destroyed  those  of  others. 

If  our  own  souls  only  were  in  danger,  my  bre- 
thren, and  that  we  could  perish  alone,  our  indolence, 
in  that  case,  would  be  the  less  criminal.  But  when 
we  have  taken  upon  us  the  care  of  other  souls  be- 
sides our  own,  there  is  no  excuse  for  indolence  ot 


LECTURE  XlT.  li*J 

indifference.  ^  Were  you  to  pass  a  dangerous  gulf, 
"  my  brother,  (said  once  a  friendly  admonisher)  in 
"  a  skiff,  in  whiehyou  were  alone,  I  should  be  sor- 
"  ry,  for  your  own  sake,  to  see  you  careless  ;  but  I 
u  have  nopatience  at  your  being  so,  when  you  have 
u  engaged  to  pilot  a  vessel  laden  with  the  precious 
"  souls  of  others.  Or,  if  your  own  life  only  were 
*"  in  danger,  from   some   alarming  disease,  and  that 

*  you  made  light  of  it ;  or  your  own  house  only  on 
"  fire,  and  that  you  did  not  heed  it,  I  should,  in  that 
*'  case,  regret  your  thoughtlessness ;  but  when  you 
4(  have  undertaken  to  be  the  physician  of  an  hospital 
"  or  town  infected  with  the  plague  ;  or  to  watch  and 
"  put   out  all  the  fires  that  should  be  kindled  in  a 

*  street  or  district,  there  is  no  bearing,  in  that  case, 
"  with  your  remissness."  No,  my  brethren,  our 
office  involves  the  fate  of  thousands  in  the  same  clan- 
ger with  ourselves  ;  and  their  blood  will  be  required 
at  our  hands,  if,  through  our  negligence,  they  perish. 
cLet  us  then  act  our  part  with  care  and  zeal,  that  our 
own  souls  may  be  delivered. 

Necessity,  my  brethren,  is  laid  upon  us,  and  woe  un 
to  us  if  we  act  not  our  part  with  zeal  and  diligence. 
Our  business  requires  and  deserves  every  possible  ex- 
ertion.    We  are  sent  to  enlighten  the  world,  to  save 
it  from  the  curse  of  God,  to  cast  down  the  kingdom 
of  Satan,  to  advance  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  and  to 
lead  our  people,  through  every  difficulty,  to  the  pos 
session  of  glory.     And  surely  all  this  needs  and  de 
serves  our  utmost  labour  and  zeal  to  accomplish.  We 
are  sent  to  feed  and  to  guide  the  church,  which  God 
loved,  for  which    Christ  died,  in  which  the  Spirit 
resides,  and  to  which  angels  minister,  and  shall  we 
think  much  of  our  labour  or  our  lives,  if  we  may  but 
fulfil  our  ministry  ? 

Do  but  conceive,  my  brethren,  how  we  shall  wish 
to  have  acted  our  part,  when  the  scene  is  about  to 
close,  and  when  the  angel  of  death  will  let  us  know 


110  LECTURE  XII. 

that  we  must  deliver  up  our  charge,  and  be  no  lon- 
ger stewards.  Do  but  conceive  how  departed  preach- 
ers would  acquit  themselves,  were  they  to  return 
from  eternity,  and  permitted  once  more  to  tread  the 
same  stage,  and  to  act  a  second  part  in  life.  Heavens! 
what  examples  of  fidelity,  earnestness,  and  zeal, 
should  we  then  behold !  Like  John  the  Baptist,  who, 
in  a  sense,  was  said  to  be  Elias  returned,  and  who, 
from  his  peculiar  earnestness  in  preaching,  was  cha- 
racterised by  the  voice  of  one  crying,  they  would  put 
forth  all  their  soul  and  spirit  in  preaching  the  king- 
dom of  God.  But  as  no  second  chance  of  rectifying 
our  conduct  is  to  be  allowed,  let  us  now  acquit  our- 
selves like  men.  When  a  blessed  immortality  is  the 
prize,  and  a  miserable  eternity  the  punishment,  no 
exertion  of  zeal  can  be  too  great.  Let  us  then  do 
all  that  we  possibly  can,  to  improve  the  one  glorious 
opportunity  which  we  have  of  saving  ourselves 
and  others  ;  and  firmly  resolve,  in  clependance  on 
the  divine  grace,  that,  whatever  other  men  shall  do, 
as  for  us  we  shall  be  fervent  in  spirit,  serving  the 
Lord. 

And  is  it  possible,  my  brethren,  that  we  can  serve 
him  in  any  other  manner  ?  Is  it  possible  we  can  be 
lukewarm  in  such  a  work  as  that  in  which  we  are 
engaged?  What,  my  brethren,  servants  of  Jesus 
Christ,  sent  forth  to  work  his  work,  enlarge  his  king- 
dom, and  gather  in  his  elect,  can  we  see  the  king- 
dom of  the  devil  prevail  over  his,  in  the  portion  of 
the  vineyard  committed  to  our  care,  and  stand  the 
cool  and  quiet  spectators  of  the  scene  ?  What  avail* 
it  though  conscience  reproach  not  ourselves  with 
any  gross  personal  crime,  if  we  give  no  check  to  the 
crimes  of  those  who  are  given  us  in  charge  ?  Shall 
we  behold  Christ  crucifcd  afresh,  and  witness  the 
indignities  offered  to  his  person  and  his  name  ;  and 
shall  we  not,  I  will  not  say,  only  pray,  and  sigh,  and 
groan,  in  the   bitterness  of  our  soul  in  secret ;  but 


LECTURE  XII.  117 

shall  we  not  also  use  in  public  every  authority  with 
which  we  are  entrusted,and  every  weapon  with  which 
Jove  and  zeal  can  arm  us  ?  We  must  otherwise  be 
considered  as  enemies  to  our  Master,  and  traitors  to 
his  cause  ;  for,  if  we  are  not  heartily  with  him,  hs 
will  account  us  to  be  against  him.  Yes,  my  brethren, 
when  the  glory  of  God  and  the  interests  of  the  gospel 
are  concerned,  a  minister  ought  not,  from  indolence, 
or  timidity,  or  false  prudence,  to  be  silent.  He 
ought  to  know  no  man  according  to  the  flesh,  but  to 
forget  titles,  names,  honours,  and  authorities,  when 
those  possessed  of  such  distinctions  forget  themselves 
and  forget  their  God.  Whatsoever  I  command  thee, 
thou  shalt  speak.  Be  not  afraid  of  their  faces ;  for  I 
am  with  thee,  to  deliver  thee,  saith  the  Lord. 

If  a  dear  friend  is  abused  in  our  presence,  are  we 
not  fired  with  indignation  ?  Do  we  not  say  something 
in  his  behalf,  and  take  his  part  against  the  slanderer 
of  his  name?  and  shall  we  not  have  the  same  zeal 
in  supporting  the  name  and  interests  of  Jesus  Christ  ? 
Can  we  hope  that  he  will  honour  us  with  the  title  of 
his  friends,  if  we  neglect  what  so  tender  a  title  re- 
quires ?  If  even  an  ordinary  christian  who  does  not, 
on  such  occasions,  confess  him  before  men,  shall  be  de- 
nied by  him  before  his  Father  and  his  angels,  how 
infinitely  greater  must  be  the  condemnation  of  that 
minister,  who  does  not  stand  up,  though  alone,  for 
the  glory  of  his  Lord  ;  who  does  not  confess  him,  if 
all  the  world  should  deny  him  ;  and  who  does  not 
value  his  smiles  above  his  own  life,  and,  in  compari- 
son of  them,  despise  alike  the  favours  and  the  frowns 
of  earth  and  hell  ? 

I  know  that  there  is  a  time  when  the  best  men 
must  be  dumb,  ami  restrain  their  lips  as  with  a  bridle; 
a  time  in  which  christian  prudence  will  direct  them 
not  to  cast  their  pearls  before  swine,  lest  those  unclean 
animals  turn  upon  them  in  a  rage  and  rend  them. 
And,  to  observe  the  times  and  the  seasons,  the  place 


US  LECTURE    XI). 

and  the  persons,  and  to  restrain  our  zeal  when  it 
would  only  produce  rage  or  ridicule,  yet  with  such 
symtoms  of  concern  as  may  convince  both  the 
friends  and  the  enemies  of  religion  how  much  we 
feel  it,  is  a  matter  in  which  ministerial  prudence 
must  direct  us.  But  prudence  is  one  thing,  and  cow- 
ardice another.  Our  Saviour's  caution  on  this  head 
will  never  excuse  that  minister  who  sacrifices  any 
part  of  his  master's  honour,  and  his  own  duty,  to 
any  human  or  selfish  consideration.  The  faithful 
minister  will  always  lean  to  the  safest  side  ;  and,  if 
his  zeal  should  at  any  time  carry  him  a  little  too  far, 
in  the  opinion  of  men,  the  rectitude  of  his  intention 
would  at  the  same  time  plead  his  excuse  in  the  eye 
of  God.  Seldom,  however,  is  there  any  danger  of 
erring  on  this  hand.  So  far  from  it,  that  in  nothing 
do  We  oftener  fail  than  in  not  appearing,  in  the  com- 
mon intercourse  of  life,  to  be  sufficiently  penetrated 
with  the  importance  of  our  office,  or  sufficiently 
zealous  to  promote  it's  glorious  ends.  We  affect  too 
much  to  be  like  other  men,  and  to  sail  along,  rather 
than  stem,  the  ordinary  tide  of  manners. 

Indiscreet  zeal,  I  own,  there  may  be.  But  thanks 
to  heaven,  which  pours  not  down  all  it's  vials  of 
wrath  at  once,  this  is  none  of  the  evils  of  the  pre- 
sent times.  Lukewarmness,  a  disease  of  much  more 
fatal  and  extensive  consequence,  has  long  since  ban- 
ished it  out  of  the  christian  world.  But  is  it  possi- 
ble, my  brethren,  that  a  minister  of  the  gospel  can 
be  lukewarm,  when  either  the  honour  of  his  master, 
or  the  salvation  of  his  souls,  is  in  the  smallest  degree 
concerned?  Being  intrusted  by  the  God  of  heaven 
with  matters  of  everlasting  moment  to  the  souls  of 
men,  wTill  he,  on  any  account,  at  any  time,  or  in 
any  instance,  behave  in  such  a  manner  as  to  injure 
the  great  cause  which  he  is  sworn  to  support  and 
serve  ?  Being  a  parent,  can  he  see  his  children  perish 
before. his  eyes,  and  feel  no  kindling  of  zeal,  no  bow- 


LECTURE    XII.  119 

els  of  compassion  ?  Being  a  pastor,  can  he  sec  his 
sheep  throw  themselves  headlong  into  perdition,  and 
not  warn  them  zealously  and  loudly  of  their  danger? 
If  he  does  not,-  he  has  not  the  heart  of  a  parent,  but 
of  a  stranger ;  it  is  hard  as  adamant.  He  is  not 
a  true  shepherd,  he  is  not  a  minister  of  the  gospel ; 
hut  an  usurper  of  the  sacred  office,  and  an  intruder 
into  the  temple  of  God.  And  will  his  false  title  se- 
cure such  a  one  from  heaven's  merited  vengeance  ? 
Ah,  no  1  the  decree  is  already  gone  forth  against 
him,  and  the  execution  of  it,  unless  he  repent,  is  not 
very  distant.  He  shall  be  bound  hand  and  foot, 
and  have  his  portion  with  the  hypocrites.  Yes,  my 
brethren,  if  even  a  common  christian,  who  is  luke- 
warm, is  rejected,  and  cast  out,  like  insipid  water, 
which  is  neither  hot  nor  cold,  what  shall  become  of 
that  minister  of  the  Gospel  who  serves  the  God  of 
heaven  coldly  ?  The  case  admits  of  no  halting.  If 
God  be  God,  serve  him  zealously  :  if  Baal  be  God, 
serve  him  as  you  will.  We  must  either  be  hot  or  cold, 
or  perish*. 

Warm,  therefore,  is  the  zeal  that  should  actuate 
every  faithful  minister.  And  for  such  zeal,  my 
brethren,  there  is  a  peculiar  call  in  our  day.  A  spi- 
rit of  coldness  and  indifference,  in  matters  of  religion, 
is  gone  forth  into  the  world.  The  love  of  many,  the 
love  of  most,  is  waxen  cold,  and  the  fire  of  devotion 
is  fallen  so  low,  that  it  can  scarce  warm  even  those 
who  serve  at  the  altar.  And  if  we  are  indevout,  no 
wonder  if  others  be  prophane.  If  we  arc  cold  or 
lukewarm  in  matters  of  religion,  we  are  not  likely 
to  promote  it's  interests  among  men.  It  is  only  by  a 
warm  and  earnest  desire  to  win  souls,  that  we  can 
look  for  any  success  in  the  great  and  glorious  work 
in  which  we  are  engaged.  It  was  by  earnestness 
and  zeal  that  our  venerable  predecessors,  who  resign- 

*  Massilon,  passim. 


120  LECTURE   xn. 

cd  their  place  to  us,  became  so  mighty  in  reforming 
the  church  and  the  world.  And  it  may  be  to  the 
want  of  these  noble  qualities  in  us,  I  fear,  that  a 
great  share  of  the  irreligion  of  the  age  we  live  in 
may  be  owing.  Would  to  God  the  consequence 
reached  no  farther  than  the  age  we  live  in  :  But  it 
extends  to  judgment,  it  extends  to  eternity  ;  for  the 
redemption  of  the  poor  souls  which  perish  through 
our  want  of  zeal,  ceasetk  forever.  And,  on  that 
great  day  on  which  the  chief  Shepherd  shall  appear, 
and  call  before  him  the  ministers,  the  faithful  ministers, 
of  former  generations,  to  applaud  their  zeal  and  re- 
ward their  diligence,  they  will  come  with  their  thou- 
sands and  ten  of  thousands  to  produce  as  the  fruit  of 
their  labours,  when  many  ministers  of  our  day,  it  is 
much  to  be  feared,  may  stand  alone,  and  without 
any  such  crown  of  rejoicing  ;  or,  what  is  still  worse, 
after  having  preached  the  gospel  so  coldly  to  others, 
fall  themselves  to  be  cast  away.  And  even  the  most 
zealous  among  us  may  have  cause  to  be  ashamed, 
when  we  shall,  on  that  awful  day,  meet  the  ministers 
of  all  ages,  and  of  all  countries,  before  the  tribunal 
of  our  common  Lord  ;  and  when  we  shall  be  called 
forth,  in  order  to  give  an  account  of  our  stewardship, 
and  to  show  whether  or  not  we  delivered  to  our  suc- 
cessors, each  his  portion  of  the  vineyard,  more  culti- 
vated and  improved  than  he  received  it,  Then,  when 
we  shall  hear  the  martyrs  tell  how  they  bled  and  how 
they  died  ;  when  we  shall  hear  the  first  reformers  tell 
how  they  fought,  and  struggled,  and  conquered,  and 
triumphed;  when  we  shall  hear  a  Patrick,  a  Ninian, 
a  Columba,  a  Luther,  a  Calvin,  and  a  Knox,  tell 
what  difficulties  their  zeal  surmounted,  and  what  re- 
formation their  diligence  effected  in  a  few  years,  and 
then  see  them  lean  forward,  when  we  are  called,  to 
hear  what  had  been  done  by  us  in  the  course  of 
ages  ;  how  shall  they  be  astonished  and  disappointed, 
and  we  confounded  and  ashamed  !    How  shall  we 


LECTURE  XII.  121 

hang  down  our  heads,  and  wish  for  a  veil  to  hide  us! 
May  heaven  avert  such  cause  of  shame  !  And  may 
we  live  so  as  to  be  able  then  to  lift  up  our  heads  and 
rejoice!  With  this  view,  let  us  imitate  the  zeal  of 
those  worthies  who  are  gone  before  us  :  Or,  rather, 
let  us  imitate  the  zeal  of  the  great  Hxamplar  of  om 
ministry.  How  ardent  was  his  zeal  for  the  glory  of 
God  and  the  souls  of  men  !  He  continually  went  a- 
bout  doing  good.  He  embraced  every  opportunity 
in  public,  in  private,  in  the  ship,  in  the  field,  at  the 
table,  to  discourse  of  religion,  and  of  the  things 
which  pertained  to  the  kingdom  of  God.  As  the 
royal  prophet  foretold  of  him,  the  zeal  of  God's  house 
ate  him  up.  Of  this  how  strong  a  proof  did  he  give 
in  rebuking  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  notwithstand 
ing  their  rank  and  their  authority,  their  malice  and 
their  power  ;  and  in  purging  the  temple,  without 
any  regard  to  his  personal  safety,  which  might  be 
endangered  by  those  who  were  no  doubt  enraged 
when  their  worldly  interest  was  affected.  Consider 
how  entirely  he  was  devoted  to  the  great  work  for 
which  his  Father  sent  him  ;  how  ardent  to  have  it 
accomplished,  frequently  preaching  all  day,  and  of 
ten  praying  all  night  !  Blessed  Lord !  thou  didst  pray 
that  our  love  might  not  grow  cold  ;  that  our  faith 
might  not  fail  ;  that  our  zeal  might  not  abate  !  And 
•shall  we  defeat  the  end  of  those  prayers,  yea,  defer*, 
the  end  of  thy  dying,  so  far  as  depends  on  us,  by  be 
ing  cold  or  lukewarm  iii  thy  service?  Then,  may 
our  tongue  cleave  to  the  roof  of  our  mouth,  and  our 
right  hand  forget  her  cunning  !  Then,  let  our  days 
be  few,  that  other  servants  more  worthy  may  take 
our  office!  servants  who  may  walk  in  the  spirit  of 
Elijah;  who  may  walk  in  the  spirit  of  their  mas 
ter;  and  who  will  not  count  their  most  painful  la- 
bours dear,  provided  they  may  accomplish  the  end 
of  their  ministry,  and  be  able  to  gain  gouls  to  their 
Lord. 

R 


122  LECTURE   Xlf. 

Such,  my  dear  brethren,  is  the  zeal  that  should 
actuate  every  faithful  minister.  But  as  every  flower 
in  the  garden  has  it's  semblance  among  the  degene- 
rate tribes  of  the  field,  so  this  sacred  passion  has  it's 
counterfeit ;  for  there  is  a  zeal  without  knowledge^  the 
illicit  offspring  of  passion  and  imprudence,  which  of- 
ten hurts  the  cause  which  it  means  to  serve,  and  gives 
occasion  to  speak  against  the  genuine  zeal  of  other 
men.  But  Ictus  mark  the  distinction  between  them, 
which  the  world  will  seldom  take  the  trouble  to  ob- 
serve. True  zeal  springs  from  charity  and  love,  and 
is  always  sweet  and  patient.  It  hates  the  sin,  but  it 
loves  the  sinner.  It  strains  every  nerve  to  accomplish 
his  conversion,  making  no  account  of  it's  toils  and 
pains,  and  prayers,  and  sighs,  for  that  purpose.  Like 
that  gracious  Spirit,  who  is  it's  author,  it  returns 
with  growing  ardour  to  it's  work,  after  having  been 
already  repulsed  a  thousand  times.  It  leaves  no 
mean  untried.  One  while  it  uses  prayer,  another 
time  promises,  and  anon  threats.  True  zeal,  like 
love,  is  ingenious,  and  devises  a  thousand  arts  to  re- 
claim  sinners  and  save  souls.  If  this  end  is  obtain 
ed,  the  man  of  true  zeal  is  satisfied,  whoever  may 
be  the  instrument.  He  prefers  the  good  of  Jerusalem 
to  every  private  and  selfish  consideration  ;  and,  like 
the  Baptist,  is  willing  to  wax  less,  if  he  sees  the 
kingdom  of  Christ  wax  greater.  Indeed,  that  minis- 
ter regards  the  glory  of  God  but  little,  who  takes 
any  solicitous  concern  at  all  about  his  own  — Be  thy 
glory,  O  my  God,  advanced,  and  1  care  not  if  my 
honour,  my  name,  and  my  memorial,  should  perish 
from  under  heaven  !  Be  thy  kingdom  enlarged,  O 
my  Saviour,  and  my  soul  shall  be  transported  with 
joy,  though  I  should  be  none  of  the  honoured  instru- 
ments !  Let  myriads  bow  at  the  foot  of  thy  cross, 
and,  whoever  shall  have  brought  them  thither,  I 
shall  glorify  thy  free  grace,  and  join  in  their  glad 
hosannahs  !  Communicate,  O  most  holy  Spirit,  the 


LECTURE  XII.  123 

converting  and  sanctifying  influences  of  thy  grace, 
and,  whether  this  unworthy  worm  may  or  may  not 
be  one  of  the  instruments  thou  shalt  deign  to  use,  1 
will  in  either  case  extol  thy  glorious  name  !  Let 
Christ  be  glorified  and  sinners  saved,  and  my  joy 
shall  be  full  !  Let  all  thy  other  servants  have  more 
zeal  and  success  in  thy  work  than  I  can  reach  to? 
and  I  gladly  rank  the  very  lowest  among  the  pro- 
phets, and  rejoice  to  be.  in  this  sense,  the  meanest  in 
the  kingdom  of  God  ! 


LECTURE  XIII. 

The  same  Subject  continued, —  Of  Zeal  and    Dili- 
gence. 

ZEAL,  my  brethren,  is  so  very  important  a  part 
of  the  ministerial  character,  that  I  cannot  help  enlarg- 
ing upon  it,  even  at  the  hazard  of  being  considered 
as  tedious.  What  makes  it  so  necessary  to  insist  so 
much  on  this  qualification  is,  that  the  age  we  live  in  is 
so  very  lukewarm,  and  that  we  are  generally  apt  to 
take  the  colour  of  our  character,  from  the  manners 
of  the  times  ;  for  few,  extremely  few  indeed,  ever 
think  of  rising  a  hove  the  manners  of  the  age  in  which 
they  live.  But  what  are  the  manners  of  the  age  to 
us;  who  ought  to  form  our  character,  not  on  the 
customs  of  the  world,  but  on  the  precepts  of  the 
gospel  ?  Now,  in  the  gospel,  we  find  diligence  and 
zeal  so  necessary,  that  the  wicked  and  the  slothful 
servant  are  represented  as  one  and  the  same  charac- 
ter. *  Without  zeal,  therefore,  my  brethren,  we  are 
the  reverse  of  what  we  ought  to  be  :  We  are  dead, 
however  much  we  appear  to  live.  Without  this, 
men  may  be  pleased  with  us-,  on  account  of  some- 
thing foreign  to  our  office,  or  perhaps  of  something 
which  belongs  to  it ;  but  God  detests  us.  We  may 
be  pleased  with  ourselves,  when  we  compare  our 
conduct  with  that  of  our  less  regular  brethren,  our- 
selves  being  judges.  But  this  false  peace  will  soon 
be  disturbed.  The  halcyon -days  of  a  careless  mini- 
ster, like  those  feigned  by  the  poets,  are  few  in 
number.     The  clouds  already   begin  to  lour  ;  the 


*  Matth.  xxv.  20. 


LECTURE  XIII.  125 

storm  thickens ;  the  thunder  murmurs  at  a  distance  ; 
it  grows  louder  and  louder  as  it  approaches  ;  it  set- 
tles over  the  head  of  the  devoted  victim  ;  he  cries 
for  help  ;  he  looks  around  for  shelter  ;  he  has  just 
time  to  see  that  he  has  none  to  find,  when  the  tem- 
pest bursts  in  one  dreadful  peal  upon  his  guilty  head, 
transporting  his  soul  on  the  lightning's  wing  to  the 
bar  of  God,  and  leaving  his  body  in  dust  and  atoms. 
Then,  all  his  dreams  of  happiness  and  ease  are  gone  ; 
then,  his  false  peace  forsakes  him,  and  a  terrible 
sound,  the  cries  of  souls  perished  through  his  negli- 
gence, awake  him  from  his  sleep,  and  dispel  for  ever 
his  fatal  slumbers. 

Then,  who  would  not  wish  to  stand  in  the  place 
of  the  faithful  and  zealous  minister?  Of  that  minis- 
ter who  may  have  been  in  weariness,  and  painfulness, 
and  watchings,  often  ;  in  hunger,  and  thirst,  and 
fastings,  often  ;  perhaps  too  in  cold  and  nakedness  ; 
and  who,  besides  these  outward  troubles,  bore  on  his 
mind  continually  a  deep  concern  for  the  interests, 
not  only  of  his  own  flock,  but  of  all  the  churches  ? 
But  all  the  labours  of  his  zeal  and  love,  however 
painful,  were  soon  over,  and  his  works  have  follow 
ed  him.  The  many  souls  whom  he  has  been  the  bles 
sed  instrument  of  saving  (and  of  whom  he  reckoned 
every  one  worth  all  the  labour  of  his  life,)  are  now 
his  jo}T  and  the  crown  of  his  rejoicing,  and  will  be  the 
cause  of  unspeakable  honour  and  glory  to  him  in  the 
presence  of  their  common  Lord  at  his  coming.  Yes, 
m\  that  day  they  will  add  to  the  splendour  of  his 
appearance,  and  to  the  glory  of  his  triumph,  when 
he  stands  with  prophets,  and  apostles  and  other 
worthies,  in  the  highest  rank  of  the  assembly  of  the 
First-born,  and  of  the  spirits  of  the  just,  conspicu- 
ous amidst  that  multitude  which  no  man  can  num- 
ber: as  one  of  the  brightest  stars  in  the  azure  hea- 
vens. 

Do  we  desire,  my  brethren,  that  our  reward  should 


126  LfeCTURE   XIII. 

be  sure,  and  our  latter  end  be  happy?  Then  let 
us  be  zealous  and  active  in  the  duties  of  our  office. 
The  want  of  zeal  makes  every  other  qualifica- 
tion useless,  and  is  sufficient  of  itself  to  exclude  us 
from  glory.  That  it  will  do  so  to  too  many,  is  indeed 
to  be  dreaded  :  for,  how  few  are  they  who  discover 
so  much  of  it  as  the  importance  of  the  business  re- 
quires ?  Accordingly  it  was  the  opinion  of  the  pious 
and  eloquent  Chrysostom,  that  few  ministers  should 
be  saved.  It  is  also  the  observation  of  an  eloquent 
preacher,  whose  sentiments  on  this  subject  I  have  of- 
ten had  in  my  eye,  that  "  God  sometimes,  in  saving 
u  his  elect,  makes  use  of  instruments  which  he  af- 
"  terwards  casts  away.*  Such  instruments  may  be 
compared  to  those  cunning  Tyrians,  who  assisted  So- 
lomon in  building  that  temple,  in  whose  God  they 
had  no  interest,  and  in  whose  blessings  they  had  no 
share.  This  thought  should  fill  the  most  faithful  and 
exemplary  ministers  with  holy  jealousy  and  fear ;  a 
fear  from  which  St.  Paul  himself,  with  all  his  zeal, 
was  not  always  free.  But  a  careless  indolent  minis- 
ter, on  hearing  it,  should  tremble.  All  his  joints, 
at  the  thought  of  this,  may  be  loosed,  and  his  knees, 
like  Belshazzar's,  smite  against  each  other.  Hear, 
ye  careless  pastors,  though  neither  impious  nor  im- 
moral men ;  hear  the  character  and  the  vision  of 
Theodorus,  and  be  faithful,  be  zealous,  and  be 
saved. 

Theodorus  had  the  pastoral  care  of  the  vale  of 
Ormay.  The  tenor  of  his  life  was  smooth  like  the 
stream  which  stole  through  his  valley.  The  path 
which  he  trod  was  always  clean ;  nobody  could  say, 
Behold  the  black  spot  on  the  linen  ephod  of  Theodo- 
rus. His  flock  listened  with  attention  to  his  voice ; 
for  his  voice  was  pleasant.  His  speech  dropped  from 
his  lips  as  honey  from  the  summer  oak ;  his  words 


*  Mas6ilon, 


LECTURE  xnr.  12?' 

were  as  the  'dew  on  the  rose  of  Ormay.  The  spirit 
of  Theodorus  was  also  meek,  and  his  heart  appear- 
ed to  be  tender.  But  if  it  was  in  some  degree  tender, 
it  was  in  a  higher  degree  timid.  If  his  soft  whisper 
could  not  awaken  the  sleeping  lamb,  he  had  not  the 
spirit  to  lift  up  his  voice  and  disturb  it ;  no,  not  even  if 
the  lion  and  the  bear  should  be  nigh  it.  If  a  thought- 
less sheep  wandered  too  near  the  precipice  or  the 
brook,  Theodorus  would  perhaps  warn  it  gently  to 
return.  But  rather  than  terrify,  alarm,  or  use  any 
exertion,  he  would  leave  it  to  it's  fate,  and  suffer  it 
quietly  to  tumble  over.  The  danger  of  precipices 
and  brooks  in  general,  Theodorus  often  sung  on  his 
melodious  reed ;  but  this  or  that  brook  he  could  scarce 
venture;  to  mention,  lest  such  of  his  flock  as  wrere 
near  them  might  consider  themselves  as  reproved, 
and  so  be  offended.  He  could  say  in  general,  Beware 
of  the  lion  and  the  bear  ;  but  could  not  tell  a  poor 
wandering  sheep,  Thou  art  particularly  in  danger  : 
Nor  could  he  say,  In  such  and  such  paths  the  enemy 
lies  in  wait  to  devour  thee. 

The  voice  of  history  should  be  the  voice  of  truth, 
and  when  the  motives  of  actions  are  doubtful,  they 
should  be  interpreted  with  candour.  Let,  therefore, 
the  conduct  of  Theodorus  be  allowed  to  proceed* 
not  so  much  from  indifference  as  from  a  love  of  ease 
and  a  false  fear  of  offending.  His  flock,  because  he 
did  not  disturb  them,  believed  that  he  loved  them, 
and  they  loved  him  in  return.  They  were  indeed, 
for  the  most  part,  a  tractable  and  harmless  herd. 
And  though  the  service  of  Theodorus  had  not  much 
zeal,  it  was  not  altogether  without  success.  There- 
fore, without  considering  that  he  might,  if  zealous, 
do  much  more,  he  was  satisfied  with  having,  with- 
out zeal,  done  so  much.  He  blessed  God,  that  hi> 
labour  was  so  useful,  without  any  remorse  for  it's  not 
being  more  so;  as  it  well  might,  if  zeal  had  given 
aid  to  his  lazy  morals.     Ail  around  \yere  satisfied 


128  LECTURE   XIII. 

with  Theodoras.  Theodorus,  on  comparing  himself 
with  all  around,  was  secretly  satisfied  with  himself, 
and  concluded  that  God  was  also  pleased. 

So  dreamed  Theodorus  his  life  away,  and  hoped 
he  should  open  his  eyes  in  heaven  when  that  dream 
on  earth  should  be  ended.  Full  of  these  complacent 
thoughts,  he  ascended,  on  a  vernal  eve,  the  eastern 
brow  of  his  vale,  to  see  the  calm  sun  setting  in  the 
west.  How  happy,  said  he,  is  the  man  who  departs, 
like  that  beam,  in  peace ;  and  who,  like  that  too, 
sets  but  to  rise  again,  with  more  resplendent  bright- 
ness, in  another  world !  So  may  I  set,  when  my 
evening  comes ;  and  so  on  the  resurrection  morn  may 
I  arise! 

As  he  uttered  these  words,  he  heard,  as  it  were, 
the  breath  of  the  evening  rustling  in  the  leaves  be- 
hind him.  He  turned  his  eye,  and  beheld  a  being 
whose  aspect  was  brighter  and  milder  than  the  beam 
he  had  been  just  now  beholding.  His  robe  was  like 
the  eether  of  heaven,  and  his  voice  was  soft  ae  the 
dying  sound  on  the  harp  of  Ormay,  when  the  daugh 
ters  of  music  touch  it.  Theodorus  bowed  his  head 
to  the  ground,  and  observed  a  respectful  silence. 
For  the  angel  had  spoken  peace  to  him,  and,  there- 
fore, though  filled  with  awe,  he  was  not  afraid  — 
Look  down  to  the  valley  of  Ormay,  said  the  angel, 
and  attend  to  what  thou  seest. — Theodorus  turned 
his  eye  downwards.  A  light,  clearer  than  the  beams 
of  mid-day,  shone  on  the  banks  of  Ormay.  In  it's 
beams  he  beheld  a  building  far  surpassing  in  magni- 
ficence the  temple  of  Solomon,  or  the  palace  of  Tad- 
mor  in  the  desart.  Ten  times  ten  thousand  hands 
were  conspiring  to  rear  it ;  and,  while  he  yet  beheld, 
it  seemed  to  be  already  finished.  All  the  rubbish  was 
ordered  away ;  a  deep  pit  had  been  prepared  to  re- 
ceive it.  The  scaffolds  used  in  rearing  the  edifice 
still  remained ;  and  the  master  builder  was  consulted 
how  they  should  be  disposed  of    Take,  sajd  he,  the 


LECTURE   XIII.  l$r 

best  of  them  to  be  made  pillars  within  the  palace, 
where  they  shall  remain  forever ;  but  for  the  rest  I 
have  no  further  use,  and  they  are  indeed  good  for 
no  other  purpose  than  that  which  they  have  already 
served  :  Throw  them  where  the  rest  of  the  rubbish 
has  been  cast,  and  there,  as  they  are  of  a  grosser 
and  more  hardened  quality,  let  them  be  consumed 
with  the  fiercest  of  the  fire. 

The  order  was  instantly  obeyed.  Piece  after  piece 
was  taken  down,  and  laid  to  this  or  tlie  other  hand, 
either  for  the  palace  or  the  pit.  As  they  touched  a 
certain  piece,  and  seemed  to  think  it  meet  for  the. 
pit,  Theodorus  felt  all  his  frame  convulsed,  as  if  a 
thousand  demons  moved  him  ;  and,  in  the  anguish 
of  his  soul,  he  cried,  "  Spare  me,  O  my  God  !  spare 
*f  me,  if  it  be  not  now  too  late  to  pray  for  mercy 
*  and  pardon." 

If  it  were  altogether  so,  said  the  angel,  I  had  not 
been  sent  to  thee  now  as  the  minister  of  instruction. 
A  few  moments  of  grace  still  remain  ;  improve  them 
with  care,  and  show  that  at  length  thou  art  wise. 

Ah,  my  Lord !  what  do  these  things  mean  ?  I 
have  indeed  perceived  their  purport ;  but,  O  that  I 
might  also  hear  it ! 

The  building  which  thou  hast  seen,  said  the  angel, 
is  the  church  of  God  ;  and  it's  ministers  are  those  in- 
struments which  were  used  to  rear  it.  Many  of  them 
having  served  that  purpose,  though  not  as  they  ought, 
and  being  fit  for  no  other  use,  are  at  length  con- 
demned. I  saw  the  danger  that  hung  over  thee,  and 
trembled  for  thy  fate.  For,  negative  virtues  and  dull 
morals,  without  diligence  and  zeal,  can  be  of  no 
avail  to  save  a  minister.  Have  I  not  pulled  thee  as 
a  brand  from  the  fire? — Depart  in  peace,  think  of 
thy  danger,  be  diligent,  be  zealous,  and  be  saved. 

As  these  words  were  uttered,  the  vision  in  the 
valley  of  Ormay  vanished,  and  the  angel  shook  his 
silver  wings  as  he  tlcw  on  the  wind  towards  heaven. 


130  LSCTOttfi  XI1T. 

Tlie  rustling  of  his  wings  was  like  the  rushing  of  the 
stream  of  Lora,  where  it  falls  between  oaks  in  the 
gulf  of  Amur. 


LECTURE  XIV. 


Thai  a  Minister  of  the  Gospel  should  have  the  mosl 
intense  Love  to  the  Souls  of  Men,  especially  those 
under  his  pastoral  cart. 


A  MINISTER'S  diligence  and  zeal  must  always 
be  accompanied  with  ardent  love  to  his  people.  In 
his  breast,  the  sacred  passions  of  zeal  and  love  ought 
constantly  to  burn,  like  the  perpetual  fire  of  old  up- 
on the  holy  altar.  In  his  conduct,  the  fruit  of  them 
should  constantly  appear,  so  as  to  make  it  manifest 
to  his  people,  that  his  chief  end  and  aim,  in  every 
thing  he  does  among  them,  is  to  do  them  good,  and 
to  save  their  souls.  Indeed,  every  thing  that  he  can 
do  among  them,  if  it  be  not  accompanied  with  fer- 
vent love,  will  be  of  little  avail  to  them,  and  of  none 
at  all  to  himself.  Though  he  speak  with  the  tongue 
of  men  and  angels,  and  have  not  charity  or  love,  he 
will  only  be  like  sounding  brass  or  a  tinkling  cymbol. 
Or  though  he  should  have  the  gift  of  prophecy,  and 
understand  all  mysteries  and  all  knowledge ;  if  he  is 
devoid  of  charity  and  love,  he  is  nothing.  So  af- 
firms, with  good  reason,  the  great  apostle. 

Love,  my  brethren,  is  the  genius  and  soul  of  our 
religion.  In  love  it  began  ;  in  love  it  was  carried 
on ;  and  in  love  it  will  be  perfected.  Love  is  the 
new  commandment  of  our  Lord,  and  the  peculiar 
mark  and  badge  of  his  religion.  By  this  it's  profes- 
sors were  so  much  distinguished  in  it's  first  and  best 
ages,  that  their  enemies  themselves  could  not  help 
crying  out,  u  See  how  the  christians  love  one  ano- 
*;  ther  !"  And  by  this  shall  all  it's  true  members  be 
so  much  distinguished,  even  in  it's  last  and  worst  times, 


132  LECTURE   XIV. 

that  all  men  shall  know  them  to  be  Christ's  disciples. 
And  were  it  possible  that  this  character  of  our  holy 
religion  could  be  lost  in  all  other  men,  it  should  still 
be  found  indeilible  in  the  life  and  soul  of  every  mi- 
nister. Whoever  is  destitute  of  this  grace ;  nay,  who- 
ever has  it  not  in  a  very  high  degree,  ought  to  be 
any  thing  rather  than  a  minister  of  the  gospel ;  as 
of  all  men  in  the  world  his  heart  ought  to  be  the  most 
affectionate  and  tender.  His  work  should  be  altoge 
ther  a  labour  of  love ;  one  continued  act  of  bene- 
volence and  charity.  When  he  preaches,  it  is  the 
watchman  warning  his  friends  of  the  great  and  im- 
minent danger  which  threatens  alike  their  safety  and 
his  own.  When  he  prays,  and  pleads,  and  urges 
his  message,  with  sighs,  and  tears,  and  earnest  en- 
treaties ;  it  is  the  faithful  ambassador,  charged  with 
a  treaty  of  reconciliation  and  peace  between  God  and 
man  ;  it  is  the  tender  shepherd  in  search  of  his  stray- 
ed sheep ;  the  kind  father  in  quest  of  his  lost  child. 
Is  it  possible  to  be  engaged  in  such  offices,  and  not 
feel  the  strongest  emotions  of  compassion  and  lover 
constraining  us  to  expend,  or,  if  necessary,  to  lay 
down  our  lives  for  our  flock  ? 

This  iove,  my  brethren,  is  so  essential  to  our  cha- 
racter and  office,  that  it  should  be  our  study  to  ex- 
cite and  cherish  it's  growth  in  our  souls  by  all  possible 
means.  For  this  end  it  will  be  proper  to  take  a  fre 
que nt  view  of  it's  power  and  effect  in  the  souls  of 
others.  See  how  it  moved  the  lawgiver  of  the  Jews 
to  wish  his  own  name,  for  the  sake  of  his  people, 
to  be  blotted  out  of  the  book  which  God  had  writ- 
ten. See  how  it  moved  the  apostle  of  the  Gentiles 
to  wish  himself  accursed  for  his  brethren.  And  see, 
above  all,  and  place  frequently  before  your  eyes, 
the  great  Pattern  of  our  ministry,  and  contemplate 
his  infinite  love  to  the  souls  of  men.  It  was  his  aston- 
ishing love  that  brought  him  down  from  heaven, 
that  made  him  tabernacle  in  the  flesh,  endure  all  the 


LECTURE  XIV.  I&3 

wretchedness  of  life,  and  suffer  all  the  pains  of  death 
upon  the  cursed  tree.  For  it  was  not  the  malice  of 
the  Pharisees,  the  fury  of  the  Jews,  the  injustice  of 
Pilate,  or  the  treachery  of  Judas,  that  occasioned  the 
death  of  the  son  of  God  :  It  was  his  own  mysterious 
love,  a  love  stronger  than  death,  that  made  him  wil- 
lingly submit  to  all  the  agonies  of  dying.  It  was  of 
his  own  sole  pleasure  that  this  good  shepherd  laid 
do-ten  his  lift  for  his  flock ;  for  none  had  power  to 
take  that  life  away. 

And  is  not  our  intensest  love,  my  brethren,  due 
to  the  souls  of  men,  which  were  so  highly  loved  by 
our  Lord?  Did  he  bestow  his  labour  and  his  life  up- 
on them,  and  shall  we  grudge  to  expend  our  most 
zealous  labours,  and  our  poor  lives,  in  promoting 
that  work  for  which  he  lived,  and  for  which  he  died  ? 
Behold  him  weeping  for  the  approaching  calamities 
of  Jerusalem,  and  learn  to  compassionate  the  fate  of 
dying  souls.  Hear  his  last  prayer  for  his  crucifiers, 
and  learn  to  make  your  love  triumph  over  every  in- 
jury with  which  an  ungrateful  world  may  require  it. 
1  f  the  world  repays  you  hatred  for  love,  consider  it 
did  the  same  to  your  Master ;  and  reckon  every  op- 
portunity of  doing  good,  even  to  the  evil  and  unthank- 
ful, as  so  many  happy  occasions  of  copying  his 
blessed  example.  So  shall  you  approve  yourselves 
the  dear  children  of  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven. 
Such  opportunities,  therefore,  if  they  did  not  daily 
occur,  ought  to  be  anxiously  sought  after,  rather 
than  at  any  time  avoided.  The  surest  way,  too,  of 
engendering  in  our  souls  a  strong  love  to  our  people, 
is  to  be  always  employed  in  doing  them  good.  For 
love  is  not  only  the  cause,  but  also  the  consequence, 
of  every  good  action.  Hence  the  noted  observation 
of  Tacitus,  that  we  must  hate  those  whom  we  injure, 
and  love  those  whom  we  serve.  Beniiieence  is,  there- 
fore, the  great  mean  of  exciting  and  increasing  in  us 
this  affection  of  the  soul.  And.  as  love  procures  love, 


134  l>£Cf  U&B  XIV. 

the  grateful  return  which  our  bcnificence  will  mast 
with  from  our  people,  is  likely  to  produce  in  us  a 
still  higher  degree  of  it.  But  whatever  may  be  the 
return,  we  must  persevere  and  abound  in  every  good 
work.  And,  in  order  to  make  our  love  hold  out, 
we  must  remember  that  it  is  not  from  the  world  we 
are  to  expect  the  reward  of  it's  labours,  but  from  the 
Lord  Jesus,  who,  at  his  appearing,  will  amply  re- 
compense it  ;  putting  the  crown  of  immortality  upon 
our  heads,  and  pronouncing,  over  each,  that  blessed 
sentence,  "  Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant, 
"  enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord  !" 

To  promote  further  this  love,  which  is  so  essenti- 
tial  a  part  of  the  ministerial  character,  we  should  be 
exceedingly  attentive  to  bear  our  people  frequently 
on  our  hearts  before  God  ;  and  there,  like  tender 
parents,  plead  for  pardon  for  the  faults  of  our  chil- 
dren. Nothing  has  a  greater  tendency  to  strengthen 
our  affection  to  them,  and  a  conscientious  and  habit- 
ual discharge  of  this  part  of  our  duty.* 

We  should  also,  as  far  as  christian  charity  will  al- 
low, (and  the  bounds  of  it  are  large  indeed  !)  ac- 
custom ourselves  often  to  contemplate  our  people  in 
the  many  endearing  relations  in  which  they  stand  to 
us  ;  as  the  offspring  of  one  parent,  the  children  of 
one  family,  fellow-servants,  and  fellow- sufferers  ;  as 
the  purchase  of  Christ's  blood,  as  the  members  of  his 
body,  and,  especially  as  souls  entrusted  to  our  guid- 
ance and  care.  We  should  endeavour  to  consider 
them  as  sharers  in  the  same  dangers  with  ourselves* 
followers  of  the  same  leader,  travellers  to  the  same 
country,  and  to  the  same  tribunal,  dependants  on  the 
mercy  of  the  same  great  Friend,  and  expectants  of 
the  same  glory. 

In  these  endearing  and  eternal  relations ought  we, 
if  possible,  to  consider  all  our  people,  even  the  most 
untoward.     At  least,  if  they  are  not  now  to  be  con 

*  See  above,  on  Prayer, 


LECTURE  XIV.  133 

sidered  in  these  relations,  let  us  mightily  endeavour 
that  they  may;  and  never  presume  finally  to  pro- 
nounce against  them  any  other  sentence.  For,  is  it 
not  one  of  the  properties  of  charity  or  love  to  hope  att 
things?  Accordingly,  we  should  hope  the  best  con- 
cerning even  the  worst  of  our  children,  and  not  de- 
spair oi'  being  made  the  means  to  save  them.  Grace 
sometimes  begins  where  iniquity  abounds.  When 
the  prodigal  son  was  farthest  off,  then  thought  he  of 
returning  home.  When  Saul  was  persecuting  the 
church  of  Christ,  who  would  have  thought  he  should 
be  saved?  Surely  the  salvation  of  any  soul  under  our 
care  cannot  be  less  likely.  Let  us,  therefore,  indulge 
the  pleasing  thought,  that  it  is  possible  the  worst  of 
our  people,  through  our  earnest  diligence  blessed  by 
the  grace  of  God,  may  become  the  seals  of  our  minis 
try,  and  the  brightest  gems  in  our  crown.  The  ve- 
ry possibility  of  one  such  instance  of  conversion 
should  make  us  abound  in  every  labour  of  love,  in 
order  to  effect  it.  For  the  conversion  of  one  soul,  it 
were  well  worth  a  minister's  while  to  have  come  into 
the  world,  to  have  lived,  to  have  laboured,  and  to 
have  died.  How  would  such  a  trophy  magnify  the 
riches  of  free  grace,  and  fill  the  church  above  and 
below  with  joy  ! 

And  who  will  venture  to  pronounce  the  salvation 
of  any  soul,  still  out  of  hell,  entirely  impossible  ? 
Let  us  leave  to  the  children  of  this  world  all  rash 
judgment,  and  the  despairing  of  any  living  soul's  sal- 
ration;  but  let  us,  who  are  the  servants  of charity, 
and  the  ministers  of  Jesus,  be  deeply  impressed  with 
the  character  of  our  function^  and  with  the  image  of 
our  Lord.  Let  us  low  all  mm,  but  more  especially 
those,  of  our  charge,  with  a  pure,  hani  fervently.  Then 
our  duty  will  feel  easy  to  us,  and  we  shall  deem  our 
labour  lighter.  Indeed,  without  love,  that  labour, 
that  unremitting  labour,  of  watching,  and  praying 
and  studying,  and  preaching :  of  exhorting,  and  re- 


136  LECTURE  XIV. 

proving,  and  visiting,  and  instructing,  in  season  and 
out  of  season,  and  from  house  to  house,  would  be  al- 
together oppressive  and  intolerable.  But,  with  it,  our 
Work  will  be  our  pleasure,  and  the  most  difficult  part? 
of  it  will  become  easy  and  delightful. 

Nor  shall  that  labour  which  proceeds  from  a  sin- 
cere love  to  the  souls  of  our  people,  be  often  bestow- 
ed in  vain.  Let  it  be  manifest  that  it  is  this  that  ac~ 
tuates  us,  and  they  will,  at  least,  for  the  most  part, 
love  us  in  return ;  they  will  listen  to  us,  they  will 
obey  us.  When  the  first  preachers  (like  the  great 
Shepherd)  loved  their  flock  at  such  a  rate  as  to  lay 
down  their  lives  for  their  sake,  no  wonder  if  the  suc- 
cess attending  their  labours  was  so  very  astonishing. 
And  in  after  ages,  where  the  same  love  was  manifest, 
it  always  ensured  success.  Ardent  love  triumphed 
over  every  opposition,  when  all  other  means  were 
tried  without  effect.  The  church  of  Rome  used  al! 
her  arts  (and  they  were  not  a  few)  to  convert  the 
Northumbrians  from  Pagan  superstition.  But  world- 
ly motives,  more  than  love  to  the  souls  of  men,  seem- 
ed to  actuate  her  emissaries,  and  their  preaching, 
therefore,  was  in  vain.  Aidan,  a  pious  monk  of 
Ionia  ,did  alone  what  the  united  force  of  Rome  could 
not  accomplish.  By  his  fervent  love,  accompanied 
with  good  instructions  and  a  holy  life,  he  so  charmed 
the  heathens,  that  he  brought  them  over  to  the  chris- 
tian faith.  After  him,  Finan,  and  many  others  from 
the  same  nursery  of  divines,  actuated  by  the  same 
motive,  had  the  like  success  in  other  parts  of  the 
kingdom. 

4fc  Love  your  people,  (said  one  of  the  fathers)  and 
''you  may  say  what  you  will.*"  If  we  love  our 
people,  we  may  speak  to  them  with  freedom  and 
with  boldness.  Even  when  our  faithful  reproofs 
wound  them  to  the  quick ;  when  our  awful  alarms 

*  Dilge,  et  die  quodcunque  voles.     August. 


LECTURE    XIV.  137 

disturb  the  false  repose  in  which  they  lulled  their 
souls ;  and  when  our  pointed  representations  discover 
to  each  his  own  character,  and  make  him  clearly 
perceive  that  he  Is  the  man,  even  then  they  will  listen 
to  us  with  attention,  generally  love  us,  and  bless  us 
as  their  friends.  Let  us,  then,  by  all  the  means  in 
our  power*,  cultivate  this  reciprocal  love  between 
pastor  and  flock,  on  which  the  success  of  our  minis- 
trations, in  so  great  a  measure,  must  depend.  Let 
us  endeavour  to  make  ourselves  amiable  to  our  peo- 
ple, if  we  wish  to  save  them.  Let  us  be  their  con- 
solation, and  they  will  be  ours.  Let  us  love  them  as 
parents,  and  they  will  obey  us  as  children.  Let  us 
never  do  any  thing  to  forfeit  their  esteem  and  love  ; 
for  on  this  our  own  souls,  and  I  may  say  theirs,  are 
depending  ;  for  on  this  depends  our  influence  over 
them,  and  the  whole  fruit  of  our  ministry. 

The  best  advice  is  but  little  regarded,  where  there 
is  neither  love  nor  esteem  for  the  speaker.  Hence 
the  ancient  rhetoriciansf  laid  it  down  as  a  first  max- 
im, That  an  orator  should  be  a  good  man  ;  for  they 
judged  it  impossible  for  him  to  persuade  his  hearers, 
till  they  should  first  think  well  of  him  ;  and  from 
a  belief  that  he  had  their  interest  at  heart,  con- 
ceive a  regard  for  him.  And  indeed  there  is  hardly 
an  instance  in  history,  of  any  powerful  and  persuasive 
orator,  who  was  not  also  a  good  and  benevolent  man. 
Demosthenes,  YEschines,  Cicero,  Pericles  and  Pisistra- 
tus,  were  all   of  this  stamp  ;  and,  to  this  cause,  no 

*  **  The  means  to  make  yourself  beloved  as  well  as  fear- 
"  ed,  I  comprehend  under  these  six  maxims  :  1.  A  good 
*'  life  ;  2.  Being  gentle,  obliging,  and  equitable  ;  S.  Beha- 
ft  ving  with  prudence  ;  4.  Never  forsaking  your  oftice  ;  5. 
"  Discharging  it  as  you  ought  ;  6.  Having  courage  to  speak 
"  when  you  ought,  and  to  give  private  admonitions/' — Os- 
terwald  on  the  Exercise  of  the  Ministry. 

t  Arist.  Rhet.  ).  iii.  cap.  24.  Cicer.  dc  Orat,  3.  And 
Quintil.l.  12. 

T 


u> 


3i  LECTURE    XIV 


less  than  to  their  eloquence,  we  may  attribute  their 
power  of  persuasion.  In  like  manner,  when  once 
we  have;  by  a  holy  life  and  unfeigned  love,  con- 
vinced our  people  of  our  strong  regard  for  them, 
our  business  is  in  a  fair  way  of  succeeding.  Mode 
rate  talents,  animated  by  zeal  and  love,  will  always 
be  found  more  useful,  that  is,  more  successful  than 
the  greatest  talents  without  them  ;  as  a  hot  iron, 
though  blunt,  will  pierce  much  sooner  than  a  sharper- 
one  that  is  cold.  Eloquence  and  learning*  are  highly 
necessary ;  but,  if  found  alone,  they  never  give  the 
preacher  tlte  power  of  persuasion.  What  does  this, 
under  the  influence  of  the  spirit  of  God,  is  a  holy 
and  exemplary  life,  joined  with  ardent  zeal  and  love 
to  the  souls  of  men.  Cl  He  was  more  subtle  than 
u  elegant  (says  a  Bohemian  writer  of  a  very  ami- 
"  able  reformer)  ;  but  the  gravity  and  austerity  of 
"  his  manners,  his  plain  and  exemplary  life,  his 
"  mortified  and  self  denied  appearance,  his  sweetness 
"  of  temper,  and  his  uncommon  affability  and  love 
"'  towards  persons  of  all  ranks  and  conditions,  from 
u  the  highest  to  the  lowest,  gave  him  much  more  of 
"  the  power  of  persuasion,  than  he  could  possibly 
"  have  derived  from  any  eloquence." 

We  are  told  of  the  divine  apostle  John,  that,  on 
the  three  last  days  on  which  he  preached  the  gospel, 
his  age  and  infirmities  were  such,  that,  after  having 
been  carried  to  church,  he  could  only  speak  one 
short  sentence,  and  that  sentence  always  the  same : 
'•  Children,  love  one  another-"  This  was  the  sum 
of  ail  tiie  practicable  doctrines  which  he  taught,  and 
which  wre  teach ;  and  ought,  therefore  to  be  deeply 
impressed  upon  our  own  souls.  If  the  apostle  had 
been  to  address  an  audience  of  ministers  in  so  many 
words,  he  would  no  doubt  have  said,  "  Brethren. 
"  love  yojjr  people,"  Let  us  then,  my  brethren, 
have  fervent  love  to  the  souls  of  our  people  ;  and  ne- 
ver cease  to  give  them  proofs  of  our  regard  ;  for  this 
is  the  epitome  of  ail  our  duty. 


LECTURE  XV. 

That  a  Minister  of  the  gospel  should  be  a  Man  of  ten- 
der Sympathy  and  sensibility  of  Soul. 

THAT  a  tender  sensibility  of  soul,  which  easily  in- 
terests itself  in  the  joys  and  sorrows  of  other  men. 
forms  a  very  essential  qualification  in  a  minister  of 
the  gospel.  His  office  perpetually  presents  him  with 
objects  of  compassion,  and  this  affection  moves  him, 
to  feel  and  to  commiserate  their  situation.  Without 
this,  the  sins  and  miseries  which  he  daily  beholds, 
would  become  so  familiar  as  to  make  no  impression ; 
nay,  they  would  expose  him  more  than  all  other 
men  to  the  danger  of  becoming  altogether  callous 
and  unfeeling.  This  consideration,  my  brethren, 
should  powerfully  engage  us  to  cultivate  the  most 
exquisite  sensibility  of  soul,  by  embracing  every  op- 
portunity of  giving  it  exercise  ;  for  it  is  by  exercise 
that  all  the  powers  of  either  body  or  soul  are  brought 
to  any  degree  of  perfection.  What  we  do  often  we 
do  with  ease,  and,  I  may  say,  with  pleasure  too  : 
whereas  we  become  averse  to  the  duty  which  we 
have  long  neglected  to  perform. 

We  should,  therefore,  never  allow  ourselves  to  be- 
hold with  indifference  any  misery,  of  body  or  of  mind, 
among  our  flock,  or  indeed  among  our  fellow  crea- 
tures. We  should  remove  or  relieve  it,  or  contribute 
to  do  so,  if  we  can,  and  supplicate  the  Father  of  all 
consolation  and  mercy  in  their  behalf,  whether  more 
be  in  our  power  or  not.  This  is  our  duty,  even  if 
they  should  be  ungrateful  and  insensible  to  our  kind 
ness.  Thus  Christ  wept  over  the  ungrateful  city, 
and  prayed  for  those  who  fixed  him  to  the  accursed 


140  LECTURE  XV. 

tree.  He  also  requires  of  us,  to  love  even  our  enemies 
to  bless  them  that  curse  us,  and  to  pray  for  them  id  to 
despitefulh/  use  us.  Then  shall  we  approve  ourselves 
the  genuine  disciples  of  Jesus,  and  great  shall  be  our 
reward  in  heaven.  Is  any  hungry  then  ?  let  us  feed 
him.  Is  any  naked  ?  let  us  clothe  him.  Is  any 
injured  ?  let  us  assist  him.  Is  any  afflicted  ?  let  us 
comfort  him.  Is  any  sick  ?  let  us  visit  him ;  and 
search  for  the  orphan,  the  widow  and  the  stranger, 
that  we  may  patronise  and  protect  them.  In  doing 
all  this,  in  the  measure  that  we  can,  let  us  make  no  ac- 
count of  our  little  means  ;  and  rejoice  that  God  hath 
declared  that,  where  there  is  a  willing  mind,  he. 
will  accept  according  to  tdiat  a  man  hath,  and  not  ac- 
cording to  what  he  hath  not  ;  and  that  even  a  cup  of 
cold  water,  if  we  have  no  more,  shcdl  in  no  wise  lose. 
it's  reward.  Let  us  rejoice  that  God  permits  us  to 
put  our  mite  into  his  treasury,  where  he  will  take 
care  of  it,  till  our  own  soul,  in  the  day  of  need,  shall 
reap  the  fruit  of  it.  In  a  word,  let  us  take  into  ac- 
count the  present  pleasure  and  the  future  reward,  of 
this  part  of  our  duty,  and  judge,  if  it  be  not  indeed 
more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive. 

As  precepts,  my  brethren,  are  best  illustrated  and 
enforced  by  examples,  I  cannot,  on  this  occasion,  for- 
bear to  mention  that  of  the  heavenly  Deogratias  :■ — 
i(  When  Rome  was  sacked  by  the  Vandals  in  the 
*'  year  455,  many  thousand  Romans,  of  both  sexes, 
"  chosen  for  some  useful  or  agreeable  qualifications, 
"  relunctantly  embarked  on  board  the  fleet  of  Gen 
"  scric;  and  their  distress  was  aggravated  by  the 
"  unfeeling  barbarians,  who,  in  the  division  of  the 
"  booty,  separated  the  wives  from  their  husband-, 
"  and  the  children  from  their  parents.  The  charity 
*'  of  Deogratias,  bishop  of  Carthage,  (to  which  they 
"  were  carried)  was  their  only  consolation  and  sup- 
"  port.  He  generously  sold  the  gold  and  silver  plate 
u  of  the   church,  to  purchase  the  freedom  of  some, 


LECTURE  XV.  141 

**  to  alleviate  the  slavery  of  others,  and  to  assist  the 
"  wants  and  infirmities  of  a  captive  multitude,  whose 
'•'  health  was  impaired,  by  the  hardships  whieh  they 
*'  had  suffered  in  the  passage  from  Italy  to  Africa, 
4%  By  his  order,  too,  spacious  churches  were  convert - 
44  ed  into  hospitals  ;  the  sick  were  distributed  m 
'*  convenient  beds,  and  liberally  supplied  with  food 
%i  and  medicines  ;  and  the  aged  prelate  repeated  his 
*'  visits,  both  in  the  day  and  night,  with  an  assidui- 
,f  ty  that  surpassed  his  strength,  and  a  tender  sym- 
i$  pathy  that  enhanced  the  value  of  his  services. 
*'  Compare  this  scene  with  the  field  of  Cannae,  and 
"judge  between  Deogratias  and  Hannibal*." 

And,  if  our  office  calls  on  us,  my  brethren,  to  at 
tend  thus  to  the  miseries  of  the  body,  much  more  to 
those  of  the  soul.  The  ignorance,  the  guilt,  and  the 
danger  of  immortal  souls,  entrusted  to  us  for  instruc- 
tion and  guidance,  is  what  must  deeply  aftect  us,  if 
we  are  not  past  feeling,  and  altogether  hardened. 
To  point  out  the  way  to  the  traveller,  to  warn  the 
voyager  of  a  rock,  or  the  wayfaring  man  of  a  preci- 
pice, and  to  allow  another  to  kindle  his  lamp  or 
lire  by  ours,  were  offices  of  humanity,  which  the 
light  of  nature  taught  even  the  heathens  to  show  to 
strangers  and  enemies.  And  shall  not  Christianity, 
and  our  peculiar  office  as  it's  consecrated  servants, 
induce  us  to  show  compassion  to  souls  which  are  out 
of  the  way;  to  warm  them  most  affectionately  of  their 
danger,  when  they  are  rushing  on  eternal  destruc- 
tion ;  and  to  impart  light  to  those  who  sit  in  darkness, 

*  Vide  Gibbon,  et  aut.  cit.  Deogratius  governed  thechurli 
of  Charthage  only  three  years  ;  and  yet,  in  that  short  time 
he  gained  so  much  upon  the  affections  of  his  people,  by  his 
services,  that  their  love  to  him  knew  no  bounds.  If  he  had 
not  been  buried  privately,  it  is  said,  that  in  their  frantic  de- 
votion they  would  have  torn  his  body  piecemeal,  to  keep  it  as 
a  dear  and  sacred  relic. 


142  LfeCTURE   XV. 

and  in  the  shadow  of  everlasting  death?  To  this  our 
religion  and  our  duty  calls  us  ;  to  this  our  eternal  in- 
terest (which  we  are  never  to  separate  from  that  of 
our  flock)  constrains  us  ;  and  constrains  us  the  more 
powerfully,  as  we  know  not  how  soon  they  and  we 
both  shall  lose  the  precious  opportunity  which  we 
now  have,  of  saving,  and  being  saved  ;  lor,  our  place 
shall  soon  know  us  no  more ;  others  shall  speak  in  it; 
and  others,  too,  shall  hear.  It  is  but  a  few  days  till 
the  angel  shall  lift  his  hand,  and  swear,  that  Time 
shall  be,  to  us,  no  more.  Whatsoever,  therefore,  our 
hand  shall  find  to  do,  let  us  do  it  with  all  our  might, 
knowing  that  our  labour  shall  not  be  in  vain  in  the 
Lord  ;  for  if  there  be  joy  in  heaven  over  a  sinner 
that  repenteth,  what  must  the  happiness  and  glory  of 
a  faithful  minister  be,  at  the  solemnity  of  the  great 
day,  when,  in  the  presence  of  all  the  saints  and  an- 
gels which  compose  the  assembly  of  the  First-born, 
it  shall  be  declared  that  he  was,  under  God,  the  in- 
strument of  saving  many  souls,  and  of  furnishing 
frequent  occasions  of  joy  and  rejoicing  to  all  heaven  ! 
I  see  the  eyes  of  men  and  angels  turn  upon  him,  and 
the  judge,  with  infinite  complacence,  address  him, 
"  Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant,  enter  thou 
"  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord !" 

But  it  is  not  only  with  respect  to  the  state  of  others, 
my  brethren,  that  we  are  in  danger  of  being  insen- 
sible and  cold.  We  are  also  apt  to  be  too  little  af- 
fected with  our  own  state,  too  little  impressed  with 
the  sacred  office  which  we  bear  ;  and  with  the  solemn 
truths  which  we  declare ;  as  if  the  awful  truths 
which  we  preach  to  others  did  not  equally  concern 
ourselves !  as  if  the  bread  of  life  which  we  reach  to 
others  were  not  also  food  for  our  own  souls  !  It  is  a 
melancholy  fact,  however,  that  sometimes  none  is 
less  affected  with  the  truths  of  the  gospel,  than  the 
very  man  who  preaches*.     Like  those  who  sounded 

*  "  Some  decent  in  demeanor  while  they  preach, 
"  That  task  perform'd,  relapse  into  themselves,, 


LECTURE   XV.  143 

the  horns  before  the  gates  of  Jerieho,  he  may  strike 
terror  into  others,  while  he  himself  is  free  from  all 
apprehension  and  concern.  Hence  the  preaching  ok* 
a  wicked  minister  may  be  sometimes  blessed  to  others, 
when  the  preacher  himself  is  rejected  of  God.  In 
this  case,  great  God  !  how  will  the  souls  who  melted 
under  our  ministry,  and  repented  at  our  sermons, 
condemn  ourselves  in  judgment,  if  we  remain  thus 
insensible  and  cold  ?  How  will  they  stand  astonish- 
ed at  finding,  that  truths,  so  awful  and  affecting  in 
our  mouths,  had  so  little  effect  in  softening  our  hearts, 
or  amending  our  lives  ?  You  that  sealed  others  (may 
they  with  the  apostle  say  to  us),  you  are  not  sealed  ! 
You  warned  us  how  terrible  a  thing  it  was  to  fall 
into  the  hands  of  the  living  God,  and  yet  you  your- 
selves neither  loved  nor  feared  him.  You  announ- 
ced how  necessary  it  was  to  worship  him  in  spirit 
and  in  truth,  and  you  yourselves  gave  liim  only  lip 
service.  Ah !  you  yourselves  are  become  awful  mo- 
numents of  the  most  dreadful  truths  which  you  ever- 
declared.  You  preached  the  gospel  to  others,  and 
you  yourselves  are  cast  away.  O,  how  are  you  fal 
len,  like  Lucifer,  son  of  the  morning! 

The  lethargic  state  which  I  now  speak  of,  my  bre- 
thren, is  a  disease  against  which  we  cannot  be  too 
much  upon  our  guard.  There  is  nothing  so  dange- 
rous for  a  minister  as  to  grow  remiss,  and  to  fall 
from  his  first  love ;  nothing  so  dangerous  as  to  slum 
her  in  a  state  of  insensibility,  without  a  relish  for 
heavenly  things,  and  feeling  in  his  soul  the  life  and 
power  of  godliness.  If,  in  such  a  state,  he  is  free 
from  gross  irregularities,  it  is  but  the  artifice  of  the 
devil,  not  to  awaken  his  remorse,  that  he  may  per- 
ish the  more  securely.     The  danger  of  such  a  hard- 

"  And,  having  spoken  wisely,  soon  give  proof. 
Whoe'er  was  edified,  themselves  were  not," 


144  LECTURE  XV. 

enecl  minister  is  much  greater  than  that  of  any  of  his 
hearers ;  for  the  sleeping  sinner  may  be  awakened 
and  alarmed  by  his  gross  crimes,  and  the  slumbering 
saint  may  be  roused  by  the  preacher's  sermons ; 
those  sermons  which  to  himself  are  but  words  of 
course,  grown  familiar  by  frequent  using.  But  the 
indolence  and  insensibility  of  a  minister  in  the  exer- 
cise of  his  duty,  will  not  allow  him  to  be  either  ter- 
rified or  roused  ;  and  his  condition  is  the  more  fatal 
by  how  much  his  conscience  is  the  more  peaceful. 

"  By  the  original  constitution  of  our  nature,  habit, 
"  which  strengthens  our  active  principles,  weakens 

*  all  passive  impressions.  The  more  frequently  we 
"  consider  or  feel  motives  to  virtue,  without  being 
"  really  excited  to  the  practice  of  virtue,  the  feebler 
"  will  be  their  influence  upon  us ;   the  greater  our 

*  insensibility,  the  more  imminent  our  danger  of  nc- 
<c  ver  yielding  to  their  force.  This  is  an  alarming  truth 
"  to  all  human  creatures,  but  to  ministers  of  the  gos- 
"  pel  more  alarming  than  to  others.  We  must  revolve 
"  and  preach  the  duties  of  the  gospel  so  frequently, 
ic  that  if  they  do  not  influence  us  early  to  sincere 
u  and  stedfast  virtue,  they  must  quickly  become  fa- 
"  miliar,  and  lose  their  power.  Moral  and  divine 
"  considerations  must  pass  so  continually  through 
"  our  minds,  that,  in  a  very  short  time,  they  will 
a  make  no  impression  on  us.  A  person  whom  our 
"  profession  does  not  render  virtuous,  will  become 
"  more  suddenly  and  more  desperately  obdurate  in 
a  wickedness  than  any  other  man*." 

An  awful  and  alarming  example  of  this  truth  we 
have  in  the  imperial  apostate  Julian,  who  had  fairly 
entered  on  the  inferior  offices  of  the  ecclesiastical  or- 
der, and  promised  the  noblest  fruits  of  faith  and  pi- 
ety. He  publicly  read  the  holy  scriptures  in  the 
church  of  Nicomedia.     He  prayed,  lie  fasted,  distri- 


*  See  Gerard's  Byn,  Serin,  and  Butler's  Analogy. 


LECTURE  XV  145 

buted  alms  to  the  poor,  gifts  to  the  clergy,  and  obla- 
tions to  the  tombs  of  the  martyrs.  He  affected  the 
conversation  of  bishops  the  most  eminent  for  their 
sanctity,  and  solicited  the  benedictions  of  the  holiest 
monks  and  hermits*.  But  all  this,  it  seems,  he 
went  through  as  a  mere  formal  exercise,  in  which 
the  heart  had  no  share  ;  and  therefore  was  easily 
carried  away,  by  opportunity  and  temptation,  to 
deny  the  faith,  and  at  length  to  persecute  those  who 
professed  it.  So  that  a  minister  who  is  not  truly 
and  eminently  holy,  may  be  afraid  of  being  soon,  if 
not  the  most  notorious,  at  least  the  most  hardened, 
of  sinners.  If  he  fall  into  such  a  measure  of  guilt  as 
is  ordinary,  he  will  go  beyond  it  quickly.  The  na- 
ture of  his  office,  and  the  weight  of  his  character, 
like  that  of  a  stone  precipitated  from  the  mountain, 
will  increase  the  velocity  of  his  fall,  and  insure,  as 
well  as  hasten,  his  perdition. 

It  therefore  concerns  us  nearly,  my  brethren,  to 
maintain  always  upon  our  own  souls  the  clearest  and 
deepest  impressions  of  those  glorious  things  which 
we  daily  preach  to  others.  And  if  we  did  so  more 
than  we  do,  what  a  change  would  be  thereby  pro- 
duced upon  our  lives  and  sermons !  it  would  amaze 
a  thinking  person  what  matters  we  preach  and 
speak  of,  and  with  how  much  indifference  and 
coldness !  What  it  is  for  the  soul  to  be  allowed  a 
few  moments  of  grace,  then  to  pass  out  of  this  flesh, 
appear  before  the  righteous  God,  receive  it's  final 
sentence,  and  enter  upon  exquisite,  endless,  and 
unchangeable  joy  or  torment  !  O  !  the  gravity, 
the  seriousness,  the  sensibility,  and  incessant  dili- 
gence which  the  duties  of  our  office  require  of 
us  !  "  For  my  own  part  (said  a  faithful  minister) 
"  I  am  ashamed  of  my  stupidity,  and  wonder  at  my 


Gibbon,  et  mil.  cit. 

u 


146  LECTURE    XV. 

"  self,  that  I  deal  not  with  my  own  soul,  and  those 
4  of  others,  as  one  that  looks  for  the  great  day  of 
v  the  Lord.  I  wonder  that  I  can  have  room  for 
'*  almost  any  other  thoughts  or  words,  and  that 
*'  such  astonishing  matters  do  not  wholly  engross 
€i  my  attention.  I  wonder  how  I  can  preach  of 
"  them  so  slightly  and  coldly,  and  let  men  alone 
"  in  their  sins,  however  they  take  my  importunity, 
"  or  whatever  pains  or  trouble  it  should  cost  me. 
6i  I  must  own  I  seldom  come  out  of  the  pulpit  but 
"  my  conscience  smites  me,  that  I  have  not  been 
"  more  serious  and  fervent."  "  How  couldst  thou 
"  speak  of  life  and  death,  of  heaven  and  hell,  with 
<;  so  little  emotion  ?  Dost  thou  believe  that  this 
"  people  have  so  much  sin  upon  them,  and  so  much 
"  misery  before  them,  and  art  thou  no  more  af- 
"  fected  with  their  situation  ?"  "  Such  is  the  peal 
"  which  conscience  rings,  and  yet  my  soul  is  not 
a  sufficiently  awakened.  Save  me,  O  my  God! 
"  from  insensibility  and  hardness  of  heart,  other- 
"  wise  I  can  be  no  fit  instrument  for  saving  o- 
«*  there*." 

Let  us  then,  my  dear  brethren,  beware  of  this 
torpid  insensibility,  this  fatal  disease  !  a.  disease  that 
would  not  only  destroy  ourselves,  but  also  those  that 
hear  us.  For  an  insensible,  who  is  consequently  an 
inanimate  preacher,  communicates  the  same  dispo- 
sition to  his  hearers.  If  the  minister  nods,  the  peo- 
ple will  slumber.  Let  us  cultivate  that  true  sensi- 
bility of  soul,  which  will  not  only  make  us  rejoice 
with  those  that  rejoice,  and  weep  with  those  that  weep, 
but  which  will  also  make  us  feel  our  own  concern  in 
every  thing  we  speak.  Then,  indeed,  shall  we  speak 
with  power,  although  our  natural  endowments  and 
oratorical  powers  be  far  from  eminent. 

"  In  the  midst  of  the  cruelties  which  the  Spa- 
u  niards  committed  on  the  Americans,  a  generous 


*  See  (as  it  well  deserves)  Baxtir's  Reformed  Pastor, 


w. 


LECTURE  XV.  147 

*  monk,  Bartholomew  de  Las  Casas,  stood  forth 
"  the  advocate  of  humanity,  and  the  defender  of 
"  the  rights  of  mankind.  We  behold  him  endea- 
vouring, by  his  remonstrances,  his  supplications,  and 
his  tears,  to  wrest  the  fatal  sword  from  the  hands 

"  of  his  cruel  countrymen.  We  see  him  incessantly 
"  passing  from  one  hemisphere  to  the  other,  and 
"  employing  in  each  the  voice  of  compassion,  and 

*  the  language  of  persuasion.  We  see  him  have  the 
"  courage  to  bear  to  the  foot  of  the  throne  the  com- 
"  plaint  of  the  wretched  Americans.  We  see  him 
"  brave  the  haughtiness  of  the  great,  and  the  in* 
"  solence  of  office,  and  consecrate,  to  his  generous 
k>  purposes,  his  whole  life,  his  fortune,  and  his 
"  friends.  The  goodness  of  his  heart  breaks  forth 
"  m  every  sentiment  and  line,  and  his  sensibility 
"  gives  eloquence  to  his  language,  though  nature  did 
"  not  form  him  for  an  orator*  " 

In  like  manner  St.  Paul  himself,  as  we  learn  from 
several  passages  in  his  Epistlest,  seems,  humanly 
speaking,  to  be  more  indebted  for  his  success  to 
zeal  and  sensibility  of  soul,  than  to  any  powers  of 
speech,  or  talents  for  eloquence.  Of  this  true  sensi- 
bility of  soul,  and  of  it's  powerful  effect,  his  last   ser- 

*  Mehegan.  Tabl.  de  l'Hist.  Moderne,  II.  343.  '<  O  Laa 
4(  Casas  !  thou  wert  more  truly  great  by  thy  humanity,  than 
'*  all  thy  countrymen  with  all  their  conquests  !  If  ever,  in 
<f  those  ages  yet  to  come,  these  unfortunate  climes  shall  be 
"  repeopled,  and  enjoy,  with  a  government  of  their  own  estab- 
"  lishment,  the  blessing  of  laws,  liberty,  and  peace,  the  first 
"  statue  they  shall  erect  shall  be  to  thee.  They  will  repre- 
"  sent  thee  interposing  between  the  Spaniard  and  American, 
"  and  presenting  thy  naked  bosom  to  save  the  one  from  the 
"  cruel  poignard  of  the  other.  At  the  foot  of  the  monument 
**  shall  be  inscribed,  —  Ina  ferocious  and  cruel  age,  Las  Casas, 
*c  whom  you  see,  was  the  advocate  of  humanity."  Rayna^, 
East  and  West  Ind. 

f  2  Cor.  x.  10.  and  xi.  1«,  &c, 


148  LECTURE  XV. 

mon  to  the  Ephesians  is  a  striking  example.  He  de  • 
livered  it  <wkh  many  tears ;  the  people  wept  sore,  fell 
on  his  neck,  kissed  the  departing  servant  of  God,  and 
sorrowed  most  of  all  for  this,  that  he  said  they  should 
see  his  face  no  more.  6t  O  how  deep  into  the  heart 
"  go  those  periods  that  are  sown  in  the  unforced,  un- 
*  invited  tears  of  the  preacher*  V 

*  Robinson  on  Claude^ 


LECTURE  XVI. 

That  a  Minister  of  the  Gospel  should  be  faithful  in 
declaring  the  whole  Counsel  of  God. 

WITH  our  minds  prepared  by  knowledge,  study, 
prayer,  and  those  other  qualifications  which  we  have 
mentioned,  we  enter  with  advantage  on  the  com- 
position and  delivery  of  our  sermons.  With  these 
qualifications,  we  may  hope  for  the  guidance  of  the 
divine  Spirit  to  lead  us  into  all  truth,  and  to  enable  us 
to  lead  our  people  in  the  way  of  salvation,  by  declar- 
ing to  them  the  whole  counsel  of  God.  Such  fidelity 
becomes  the  trust  reposed  in  us,  as  ambassadors  for 
Christ.  We  must  say  nothing  but  what  we  are  au- 
thorised to  say  ;  nor,  on  the  other  hand,  must  we 
conceal  or  disguise  one  iota  of  our  message.  Of  all 
the  words  that  I  command  thee,  saith  God,  diminish 
not  a  woi*d. 

This  fidelity  is  so  important  a  part  of  a  minister** 
character,  that  the  apostle  seems  to  have  laid  parti- 
cular weight  on  it,  in  that  solemn  appeal  which  he 
makes  to  the  elders  of  Ephesus,  concerning  his  own 
conduct  in  this  respect.  Wherefore  I  take  you  to  re- 
cord this  day,  that  I  am  pure  from  the  blood  of  all 
men,  for  I  have  not  shunned  to  declare  to  you  all  the 
counsel  of  God.  Thus,  my  brethren,  must  we  preach 
the  law  of  God,  (that  law  which  is  exceeding  broad), 
in  all  it's  extent,  in  all  it's  spirituality  and  strictness,  as 
reaching  to  every  thought,  word,  and  action  ;  to 
every  condition,  and  to  every  creature.  We  must 
enforce  it  by  all  it's  sanctions  of  threatenings  and  pro- 
mises, in  order  to  establish,  if  possible,  the  grace  of 
God  in  the  souls  of  men. 


150  LECTURE  XVI, 

Whatever  our  people  need,  and  ought  to  know, 
it  is  our  business  to  teach  them  ;  and,  whatever  they 
ought  to  do,  it  is  our  business  to  enjoin  them  ;  pray- 
ing always  to  God  for  direction  to  choose  our  sub- 
jects, as  well  as  for  aid  to  treat  them  as  we  ought. 
We  should  also  study,  by  every  proper  and  prudent 
mean,  to  become  acquainted  with  their  opinions  and 
their  practices,  that  we  may  the  better  know  how  to 
address  them,  and  be  able  to  lay  their  hearts  and 
their  lives  open  before  them.  We  must  press  them 
to  acquire  the  graces  and  virtues  which  they  most 
need,  and  to  guard  against  the  sins  to  which  they  are 
most  addicted,  or  most  exposed.  We  must,  especial- 
ly, labour  to  excite  them  to  a  due  sense  of  their 
guilt  and  unworthiness,  to  earnest  desires  of  pardon, 
to  fervent  love  to  him  who  loved  them,  to  unlimited 
resignation  to  the  will  of  God,  with  the  most  earnest 
and  sincere  endeavours  of  cheerful,  constant  and 
universal  obedience  to  his  laws.  We  must  warn 
them  against  profaneness,  lukewarmness,  injustice, 
uncharitableness,  and  unlawful  gratifications.  We 
must  caution  them  against  the  immoderate  love  of 
this  world,  and  direct  their  souls  to  look  and  long 
for  a  better.  We  must  direct  them  to  use  every  pro- 
per mean  of  advancing  in  holiness ;  such  as,  reading, 
meditation,  prayer,  and  watchfulness.  We  must 
direct  them,  especially,  to  attend,  to  make  conscience 
of  attending,  on  all  the  public  ordinances  of  religi- 
on ;  but  caution  them  against  growing  formal,  or 
laying  undue  stress  on  these  ordinances,  as  they  can 
avail  us  only  so  far  as  they  contribute  to  our  im- 
provement in  holiness  and  virtue.  We  must  teach 
them  the  absolute  necessity  of  uniting  morality  and 
piety  ;  as  no  outward  honesty  or  regularity  will  ex- 
cuse the  want  of  devotion,  any  more  than  the  exer- 
cise of  devotion  will  atone  for  the  want  of  morality. 

While  we  inculcate  the  observance  of  moral  du- 
ties, we  must,  after  the  example  of  our  Master,  di- 


LECTURE  XVT.  151 

reet  the  chief  attention  of  our  people  to  the  more 
ordinary  and  useful  virtues  of  justice,  charity,  hu- 
manity, humility,  meekness,  purity,  self-command, 
and  self-denial.  If  these  virtues  are  well  cultivated 
in  the  soul,  the  more  splendid  ones  will  exert  them- 
selves of  course,  when  the  rarer  opportunity  of  show- 
ing them  occurs.  The  general  habits  of  virtue  will 
naturally  adapt  the  soul  for  the  discharge  of  any  par- 
ticular duty,  to  which  the  emergency  of  the  moment 
calls  it.  The  cultivated  field  will  produce,  not  only 
the  herb  for  food,  but  the  flower  for  show,  if  the 
seed  at  any  time  is  thrown  into  the  soil. 

With  these  practical  truths,  we  must  teach  our 
people  the  nature,  evidence  and  importance  of  our 
holy  religion ;  the  miserable  condition  of  fallen  man 
in  general,  which  our  own  actual  sins  have  made 
still  more  deplorable.     We  must  make  them  ac- 
quainted with  the  redemption  wrought  out  for  them 
by  Jesus  Christ,  the  nature  and  importance  of  true 
faith  in  him,  and  their  absolute  need  of  the  grace  of 
the  divine  Spirit  to  enable  them  to  obey  his  precepts. 
We  must,  especially,  instruct  them  in  the  peculiar 
and  distinguishing  doctrines  of  Christianity,  the  dig- 
nity of  the  person  of  Christ,  his  incarnation,  his  life, 
his  death,  his  atonement  and  propitiation,  his  resur- 
rection and  intercession,   his  universal  sovereignty, 
and  his  ordination  to  be  the  judge  of  the  quick  and 
of  the  dead  at  the  last  day ;  as  also  the  various  offi- 
ces or  operations  of  the  Holy  Spirit.    This  will  be  ad- 
dressing them  as  christian  ministers  ought  to  address 
a  christian  audience.     It  will  also  be  promoting  the 
great  end  of  preaching ;    which  is,   holiness  of  life 
and  conversation.     For,  justice,  charity,  repentance, 
and  devotion,    naturally  flow   from  those  truths  of 
our  holy  religion.     Every  office  of  our  blessed  Savi- 
our, and  every  relation  in  which  we  stand  to  him, 
requires  some  correspondent  duty  on  our  part,  which 
ought  to  be  carefully  inculcated.     Is  he  our  prophet  ? 


152  LECTURE   XVI. 

we  ought  to  learn  of  him.  Is  he  our  king  ?  we  ought 
to  obey  him.  Is  he  our  priest  ?  we  ought  to  rely  on 
his  intercession  and  his  sacrifice.  Is  he  our  physi- 
cian ?  we  ought  to  take  the  remedies  which  he  pre- 
scribes. Is  he  our  pattern  ?  we  ought  to  follow  his 
example. 

In  like  manner  ought  we  to  inculcate  the  duties 
corresponding  to  the  relations  and  operations  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  whose  illuminating,  aiding,  consoling, 
and  sanctifying  influences,  we  may  always  expect, 
in  proportion  as  we  comply  with  his  motions,  im- 
plore his  presence,  and  sincerely  co-operate  with  his 
suggestions.  We  ought  to  inculcate,  that  the  life 
and  death  of  Christ  were  not  more  necessary  to  re- 
deem us,  than  the  operations  of  the  Spirit  are  to 
sanctify  us ;  and  that,  as  without  faith  in  the  Son, 
we  cannot  please,  so,  without  the  sanctification  of 
the  Spirit,  we  cannot  see  God. 

It  is  especially  our  duty  to  represent  Christ,  to 
poor  perishing  sinners,  as  an  all-sufficient  Saviour, 
suited  to  all  their  wants  and  exigencies.  We  are  to 
show  the  fullness  and  freeness  of  his  grace ;  to  pub- 
lish his  invitations  in  their  unlimited  terms  ;  and  to 
urge  them,  with  the  most  powerful  motives  that  can 
be  drawn  from  the  love  and  from  the  wrath  of  God ; 
from  the  joys  of  heaven,  and  from  the  terrors  of 
hell ;  from  all  the  glorious  and  dreadful  realities  of 
an  approaching  and  eternal  world. 

With  regard  to  the  mysteries  of  religion,  or  those 
deep  things  of  God,  which,  in  our  present  state,  we 
cannot  comprehend  but  darkly,  the  pulpit  is  not  the 
place  to  treat  of  them.  In  any  place,  indeed,  our 
faculties  are  very  inadequate  to  their  investigation. 
They  are  high  as  heaven,  what  can  we  know  ?  deep 
as  hell,  what  can  we  understand  $  With  a  modest 
and  humble  faith  we  may  view  them  at  a  distance ; 
but,  if  we  attempt  to  sound  their  depth,  we  soon  go 
beyond  our  own.     And,  whatever  side  we  take  of 


LECTURE   XVI.  15$ 

those  disputes  to  which  many  of  them,  such  as,  free- 
grace  and  free-will,  election,  reprobation,  and  the 
like,  gave  rise,  we  shall  find  it  to  be  attended  with 
many  difficulties.  It  will,  therefore,  be  prudent  to  ob- 
serve the  maxim  of  Plato,  "  never  to  attempt  to  han  * 
•*  die  any  question  upon  which  it  is  impossible  to  de- 
46  cide."  Our  wisdom  is  to  turn  away  our  dazzled 
and  feeble  eyes  from  beams  of  so  much  brightness, 
that  the  contemplation  of  them,  like  that  of  the  sun, 
must,  at  first,  pain  us,  and,  at  length,  blind  us  It 
was  never  intended  that  we  should  search  into  the 
secret  decrees  of  God,  either  for  rules  of  action,  or 
sources  of  consolation.  He  hath  shewn  thee,  O 
man,  thy  duty,  by  the  consciousness  he  has  given 
thee  of  a  power  to  choose  the  good,  and  to  refuse 
the  evil .  Listen  to  the  dictates  of  this  power,  and 
keep  from  the  labyrinth  of  fatality,  in  which  all  who 
entered  it  have  been  lost  for  wTant  of  a  clue  to  guide 
them.  From  a  study  so  unavailing,  and  so  danger- 
ous, let  us  then  avert  our  thoughts ;  and  fix  them 
on  the  milder  beams  of  the  divine  mercy,  as  mani- 
fested through  Christ  ;  on  the  pure  laws,  and  sub- 
lime promises  of  his  gospel  ;  on  the  goodness  of  his 
present  government ;  and  on  the  equity  of  his  future 
judgment.  Secret  things  belong  to  God,  but  things 
revealed,  to  us  and  to  our  children.  For  ever  and 
ever,  therefore,  let  us  inculcate  the  superior  impor- 
tance of  a  strong  sense  of  love  and  duty  to  God, 
founded  on  just  and  worthy  conceptions  of  his  na- 
ture, and  manifested  by  a  life  of  obedience  and  re- 
signation, by  a  life  of  devotion,  self-government,  and 
charit}'.  Let  us  teach  the  necessity  of  believing  in 
those  mysteries,  so  far  as  God  has  given  us  any 
knowledge  of  them  in  his  word;  but  then  leave  them, 
without  offering  any  minute  explanation  of  them  ; 
for  so  God  himself  has  left  them.     Read  them  von 


154  LECTURE   XVI. 

may,  but  explain  them  you  cannot ;  for  of  this  the 
divine  and  the  peasant  are  equally  incapable. 

Rabbi  Hillel  f  surnamed  The  Holy,  sat  in  the  chair 
of  Moses,  and  around  his  feet  five  score  of  the  sons 
of  the  prophets.  His  fame  for  sanctity  and  wisdom 
was  such,  that  it  became  a  bye-word.  If  the  Mes- 
siah were  then  alive,  he  should  be  looked  for  in  the 
person  of  Hillel.  But  every  man,  in  his  best  estate, 
is  vanity.  Hillel  wished  to  explore,  and  to  explain, 
chc  mystery  of  the  divine  decrees ;  and,  in  order  to 
prepare  himself  for  such  deep  meditation,  had  spent 
two  days  in  prayer  and  fasting.  On  the  third,  he 
ascended  the  top  of  Carmel,  and  sat  down  beneath 
the  shade  of  a  Juniper.  Here  his  mind  collected  it's 
force,  to  cast  his  thoughts  towards  heaven  and  hell, 
eternity  and  infinity.  But  his  thoughts  recoiled  on 
his  own  breast,  like,  stones  from  the  top  of  Geriz- 
zim.  Hillel  at  length,  tired  of  his  fruitless  contem- 
plation, turned,  by  chance,  his  eye  towards  a  spot  of 
earth  not  very  distant,  in  which  something  seemed 
to  be  moving.  It  was  a  mole,  which,  in  his  dark- 
some abode,  had  perceived  that  there  was  such  a 
thing  as  light,  and  forgetting  the  weakness  of  his 
organs,  desired  to  contemplate  the  sun  at  mid-day. 
But  no  sooner  had  he  left  his  element,  than  blind- 
eel  by  the  splendour  of  meridian  beams,  he  wished 
himself  again  in  his  subterraneous  lodgement.  But, 
ere  he  could  accomplish  his  retreat,  an  eagle  snatch- 
ed him  away,  and  flew  with  her  prey  towards  the 
valley  of  the  son  of  Hinnom. — Blessed  be  God, 
said  Hillel,  who  hath  conveyed  instruction  to  the 
mind  of  his  servant,  and  thus  warned  him  of  the  fol- 
\y  and  danger  of  prying  into  that  knowledge  which 
it's  difficulties  shows  to  be  forbidden.  With  respect 
to  the  decrees  of  God,  the  sons  of  men  are  molesr 
incapable  of  exploring  the  source  of  light.  Igno- 
rant of  almost  every  thing  on  earth,  how  can  they 
search  out  any  thing  in  heaven  ?    Ignorant  of  what 


LECTURE  XVI.  if%r> 

relates  to  their  own  nature,  will  they  presume  to  ex- 
plain what  relates  to  the  nature  of  the  God  who 
made  them  ? 

Upon  the  whole,  my  brethren,  there  are  undoubt- 
edly some  truths  of  more  importance  than  others  ; 
as  in  an  edifice  the  pillars  are  of  more  consequence 
than  the  ornaments.  A  proper  selection,  there- 
fore, in  the  subjects  of  our  sermons,  is  so  far  from 
being  contrary  to  the  ministerial  fidelity  which  i 
speak  of,  that  it  is,  indeed,  a  very  essential  part -of 
it.  The  moments  which  we  spend  with  our  people 
in  the  house  of  God,  are  exceedingly  precious,  and 
ought  to  be  chiefly  devoted  to  subjects  of  the  utmost 
importance.  By  these  I  mean  the  great  and  lead- 
ing truths  of  -Christianity,  mentioned  above ;  or 
more  particularly  such  of  them  as  are  most  likely  to 
do  good  to  souls,  in  the  present  circumstances  of  our 
people.  There  is,  however,  a  mutual  connexion 
between  all  the  truths  of  religion,  insomuch  that 
none  can  be  rejected  without  injuring  those  that  are 
retained.  The  threatenings  from  mount  Sinai,  and 
the  promises  from  mount  Sion,  the  duties  and  the 
privileges  of  the  gospel,  are  so  closely  interwoven, 
that  you  must  take  all  or  none.  And  should  your 
people  but  suspect  you  of  a  wish  to  conceal  or  to 
disguise  any  sacred  truth  whatever,  few  would  be 
pleased,  many  offended,  and  none  edified.  To 
make  light  of  any  part  of  the  truths  of  revelationy 
would  indeed  argue  want  of  reverence  to  the  Spi- 
rit that  inspired  them  all.  Accordingly,  the  most 
awful  threatening  is  denounced  against  the  man, 
who  will  add  any  thing  to  the  word  of  God,  or 
take  any  thing  from  it.  "  If  any  man  shall  add  un- 
*  to  these  sayings,  God  shall  add  unto  him  the 
fi  plagues  that  are  written  in  this  book.  And  if  any 
"  man  shall  take  away  from  the  words  of  the  book 
"  of  this  prophecy,  God  shall  take  away  his  part 


156  lecture  xvr. 

*  out  of  the  book  of  life,  and  out  of  the  holy  city, 
"  and  from  the  things  which  are  written  in  this 
"  book." 


LECTURE  XVIJ. 

The  same  Subject  continued, —  Of  declaring  the  wlwk 
Counsel  of  God. 

AS  we  ought  to  declare  the  whole  counsel  of  God, 
so,  my  brethren,  ought  we  to  divide  aright  the  word 
of  truth.  Prudence  and  discretion,  cardinal  vir- 
tues in  all,  but  more  especially  in  a  minister,  must 
point  out  the  seasons  in  which  particular  truths  are 
likely  to  do  most  good,  and  then  they  ought  to  be 
handled.  Attention  to  providence,  to  the  prevailing 
vices  of  the  place,  or  of  the  times,  and  to  the  pre- 
sent circumstances  of  our  people,  may  help  to  direct 
us  in  the  choice  of  subjects,  which  ought  always  to 
be  preached  from  the  most  striking  texts  that  we  can 
find.  Characters  strongly  marked,  historical  passa- 
ges, a  parable,  conversation,  miracle,  or  some  narra- 
tive concerning  any  remarkable  person  or  event, 
fix  the  attention,  and  lay  hold  of  the  memory,  and 
may,  therefore,  furnish  us  often  with  proper  text* 
or  topics  for  our  sermons.  In  these  matters,  how- 
ever, it  would  be  wrong  to  follow  any  one  particular 
line,  when  scripture  furnishes  so  rich  a  variety.  No 
velty  too,  is  pleasing,  and  helps  to  engage  the  atten- 
tion ;  for  which  reason,  we  ought  perhaps  to  preach 
seldom  more  than  once  at  a  time  from  the  same 
passage.  Besides  the  exigencies  of  our  people  are  so 
various,  that  if  we  treat  of  precise  and  particular 
subjects,  as  for  the  most  part  we  ought,  it  is  necessa 
ry  to  change  them  often,  in  order  to  suit  the  varie- 
ty of  cases,  characters,  and  tastes,  of  the  multitude 
who  hear  us. 


158  LECTURE  xvn. 

Perhaps  the  most  likely  way  to  take  in  the  whole 
extent  of  our  duty,  and  to  profit  as  well  as  to  please 
our  people  most,  would  be,  to  deal  more  in  lectur- 
ing* than  in  preaching,  provided  we  do  it  with  judg- 
ment and  care,  and  in  a  manner  that  will  engage  and 
interest.  Of  the  two,  this  is  by  far  the  most  diffi- 
cult, and  therefore  that  which  is  seldomest  used  ;  at 
least  used  as  it  ought ;  for  it  is  sometimes  gone  about 
without  due  preparation  or  study,  and  consequently 
gone  through  in  so  drawling  and  slovenly  a  manner, 
as  to  make  it,  if  not  useless,  at  least  disgusting  and 
tiresome.  If,  in  the  mode  of  managing  this  exercise, 
were  I  to  propose  a  model,  1  should  not  hesitate  to 
name  St.  Chrysostom,  as  in  many  respects  worthy 
of  imitation.  He  is  not  only  learned  and  useful,  but 
interesting  and  lively;  always  awake  himself,  he 
never  allows  even  his  readers  to  sleep  or  be  tired. 

In  lecturing,  some  err  by  saying  too  much,  and 
attempting  to  explain  what  is  already  clear.  Their 
text  is  too  short,  their  comment  too  long.  On  every 
word  or  sentence  they  think  they  must  say  some- 
thing, by  which  means  they  generally  darken,  always 
weaken,  the  word  of  God.  Others,  to  show  their 
learning  or  their  reading,  go  out  of  their  way,  to 
tell  their  hearers  this  or  the  other  fact  or  opinion, 
which  they  are  neither  the  wiser  nor  the  better  for 
knowing  ;  nay,  of  which  probably  they  had  better 
have  been  totally  ignorant.  Therefore,  my  brethren, 
when  you  lecture,  read  always  a  large  portion  of 
scripture ;  give  a  clear  and  concise  view  of  it ;  ex- 
plain what  is  dark ;  let  alone  what  is  already  clear  ; 
make  a  few  striking  reflections  on  narratives,  charac- 
ters, providences,   promises,  and  precepts;   and  all 

*  i.  e.  Reading  and  explaining  a  large  portion  of  Scrip- 
ture, and  adapting  it's  practical  uses  to  the  circumstances 
of  the  hearers. 


Iecture  xvn.  153 

with  a  direct  view  to  mend  the  heart,  and  influence 
the  conduct.  In  every  thing  you  say,  let  it  be  your 
only  aim  to  make  your  people  more  virtuous 
and  holy.  In  the  course  of  every  year  or  too,  (as 
did  the  Jews  and  first  Christians)  you  might  thus 
go  through  at  least  the  greater  and  more  interesting 
part  of  scripture,  in  itys  chronological  order,  carry- 
ing always  along  with  you  the  chain  of  history  and 
prophecy,  and  observing  how  all  the  scriptures,  from 
iirst  to  last,  point  to  a  Saviour,  and  have,  for  their 
end,  the  sanctilication  and  salvation  of  our  souls. 
Thus  may  you  hope  to  edify  and  instruct,  and,  at 
the  same  time,  please  and  entertain  your  hearers. 
Thus,  too,  will  you  teach  them,  that  the  end  of 
meeting  in  church  is,  to  worship  God,  and  to  hear 
his  word ;  and  not  merely,  or  principally,  to  hear  a 
sermon. 

On  some  occasions,  too,  the  faith  and  practice  of 
a  christian,  or  the  doctrines  and  duties  of  Christian- 
ity, might  be  treated  systematically,  by  classing  and 
arranging  them  duly,  and  using,  as  much  as  may 
be,  the  language  of  scripture*.  Some,  perhaps, 
may  object,  that,  as  most  people  already  know  the 
scriptures,  neither  of  these  methods  has  the  novelty 
or  variety  of  a  sermon,  and  will,  therefore,  be  not 
so  pleasing  ;  although  I  hope  they  will  allow  them 
to  be  at  least  equally  useful.  I  might  have  thought 
as  they  do,  if  I  had  not  made  the  trial.  But  expe- 
rience has  corrected  my  judgment ;  for  I  find,  by 
this  course,  that  my  people  are  better  pleased,  as 
well  as  more  edified.  It  is  true,  almost  all  have  the 
scriptures  in  their  hands ;  but  it  is  astonishing  how 
little  the  greatest  part  of  them  know  of  their  con- 
tents.     It  is  also  almost  incredible  how  little  an  or- 


*  Gastrcll's  Christian  Institutes  ; — Stevenson's  Faith  and 
Duty  of  a  Christian  ;— and  Warden's  System  of  revealed 
Religion,  are  constructed  in  this  manner, 


160  LECTURE  XVIL 

dinary  congregation  is  benefited  by  a  sermon,  and 
how  poor  an  account  the  most  attentive  can  some- 
times give  of  it,  after  they  have  heard  it.  One  may 
perhaps  preach  an  hour  (in  the  manner  that  some 
do),  and  hardly  one  of  a  thousand  be  the  wiser  or 
the  better.  But  not  so  if  he  read  but  a  few  minutes 
in  the  scriptures.  Besides  we  ought  to  use  the  scrip- 
tures as  we  do  our  prayers,  not  so  much  with  a  view 
to  inform  our  heads,  as  to  impress  our  hearts,  and 
to  advance  in  piety;  not  to  learn  more,  but  to  im- 
prove what  we  know  already. 

On  these  accounts,  I  must  say,  that  to  read  the 
scriptures,  and  to  worship  more,  and  preach  less,  in 
our  religious  assemblies,  Avould  certainly  tend  more 
to  cultivate  the  religious  affections  of  the  soul,  as  few 
will  find  themselves  more  edified  by  a  sermon,  than 
by  a  select  portion  of  scripture.  To  this  we  may 
add,  that  the  sermons  of  the  present  age  are  gener- 
ally more  calculated  to  please  and  entertain  the  ear, 
than  to  work  compunction  in  the  soul,  and  change 
the  heart.  Hence  the  hearers  almost  always  go  away 
forming  some  opinion  of  the  talents  of  the  preacher, 
or  the  merits  of  the  sermon,  rather  than  silently  me- 
ditating on  the  subject,  and  applying  it  to  their  own 
*ituation.  Accordingly,  we  go  to  church,  as  we  say, 
"  to  hear  a  sermon,"  and  not  to  speak  to  God,  or  to 
hear  God  speak  to  us,  which  ought  to  be  the  prin- 
cipal ends  of  our  attending  the  courts  of  the  house 
of  God*. 

*  "  Perhaps  it  were  to  be  wished  (says  Voltaire,  speaking 
"  of  Bourdaloue),  that,  in  banishing  from  the  pulpit  that 
"  false  taste  by  which  it  had  been  debased,  he  had  also  sup- 
"  pressed  the  custom  of  preaching  upon  a  text.  In  reality, 
'*  to  speak  a  good  while  upon  a  quotation  of  one  or  two  lines* 
"  to  weary  one's  self  in  accommodating  the  whole  discourse 
"  to  that  line,  seems  to  be  a  practice  little  suiting  the  grar- 
"  ity  of  a  divine.     The  text  is  a  kind  of  device,  or  rather 


LECTURE  XVII.  161 

But  whether  we  lecture,  or  preach,  or  read  the 
scriptures,  as  a  wise  steward  will  not  only  give  his 
household  their  food  in  due  season,  but  also  give 
each  his  due  portion,  so  ought  we.  The  word  of 
truth,  which  we  must  divide  aright,  consists  of  law 
and  gospel,  of  promises  and  precepts,  of  grace  and 
duty,  of  terror  and  joy.  Some  of  those  who  are 
to  be  nourished  with  this  spiritual  food  are  babes, 
who  must  be  fed  with  milk  :  Others  are  grown  up, 
and  must  be  fed  with  stronger  meat.  Wandering 
souls  are  to  be  gathered  in,  unstable  ones  are  to  be 
settled,  secure  sinners  are  to  be  alarmed,  backsliders 
are  to  be  admonished,  reproved,  or  threatened,  as 
their  cases. respectively  require;  and  the  weary  and 
heavy  laden  are  to  be  raised  and  supported.  In  do- 
ing all  this,  we  must  use  the  utmost  plainness  and 
impartiality.  We  must  not  slay  the  souls  that  should 
not  die,  nor  save  the  souls  alive  that  should  riot  live. 
We  must  neither  despise  the  lowest,  nor  yet  fear  the 
highest  of  the  sons  of  men.  Who  is  there  indeed 
of  whom  we  should  be  afraid  ?  Shall  an  ambassador 
of  the  King  of  kings  be  overawed,  or  afraid  to  de 
dare  his  message  before  any  of  his  fellow- worms, 
the  children  of  men !  If  he  should,  he  must  be  ut- 
terly unworthy  of  the  high  trust  reposed  in  him.  It 
is  not  cowards,  but  soldiers,  that  God  hath  occasi- 
on for  in  his  holy  warfare. 

To  glorify  God,  by  saving  souls,  should  be  the 
only  end  in  our  view.  And,  to  attain  to  this,  we 
ought  to  exert  all  our  faculties,  and  lay  out  all  our 
talents  ;  to  be  above  the  fear  of  man,  and  to  declare 
the  whole  counsel  of  God,  without  concealing  cr 

*•  enigma,  to  be  explained  by  the  sermon.  This  custom  was 
**  unknown  to  the  Greeks  and  Romans.  It  arose  upon  the 
"  decline  of  letters,  and  has  been  consecrated  by  time." 
J  A  fit  of  Louis  XIV. 

Fas  est  et  ab  hoste  doceri. 
W 


}6t  LECTURE  XV  ri, 

disguising  one  jot  of  it.  But,  alas  !  wc  are  not  al- 
ways what  wc  ought  to  be.  In  all  ages,  there  have 
been  preachers  of  a  different  stamp  in  the  church  of 
God ;  preachers  who  wished  to  join  their  own  in- 
terests with  those  of  their  ministry,  and  to  keep 
both  God  and  the  world  on  hand.  "  Servants  of 
tc  Jesus,  and  slaves  to  your  own  interests  and  pas- 
fcU  sions  !  you  make  merchandise  of  the  word  of 
"  God,  you  make  merchandise  of  the  souls  of  men  I 
"  Behold,  ye  temporising  preachers !  behold  St. 
"  Paul,  and  blush  at  your  baseness.  Before  Felix,. 
a  before  Drusilla,  he  cries,  The  unclean  shall  not 
"  inherit  the  kingdom  of  God !  Had  he  consulted 
"  with  flesh  and  blood,  he  had  chosen  any  other 
"  theme  but  this,  considering  the  situation  in  which 
u  he  stood  at  the  time.  But  the  good  of  souls,  and 
"  not  his  own  interest,  was  his  aim.  All -penetrated 
Ci  with  a  sense  of  the  dignity  of  his  office,  he  forgets 
"  the  grandeur  of  Felix !  He  does  more,  lie  makes 
"  Felix  forget  himself  !#,?  The  Roman  governor 
trembles  before  the  poor  tent-maker  of  Tarsus,  and 
hears  with  respect  the  censure  of  those  crimes  to 
which  he  knew  himself  addicted.  Felix  was  addict- 
ed to  pleasure,  he  was  covetous,  he  was  unjust ;  and 
therefore  St.  Paul  preaches  to  him  of  temperance, 
righteousness,  and  a  judgment  to  come. 

In  mentioning  this  character  of  St.  Paul,  our 
thoughts  are  naturally  called  to  that  bishop  of  Milan, 
who,  in  this  respect,  copied  his  example  so  well,  by 
his  plain  and  faithful  dealing  with  the  emperor* The- 
odosius,  whom  he  debarred  from  the  Lord's  table, 
on  account  of  an  act  of  cruelty  which  he  had  re- 
cently committed.  "  With  what  eyes,  (said  St.  Am- 
u  brose,  meeting  him  at  the  door  of  his  church) 
"  with  what  eyes  can  you  behold  the  temple  of  Him 
"  who  is  Lord  of  all  ?  With  what  feet  can  you  tread 

*  Massilon. 


LECTURE   XVW.  163 

*«  his  holy  place  ?  How  can  you  stretch  out  those 
ft  hands  to  receive  the  blessed  elements,  when  they 
"  are  yet  reeking  with  innocent  blood  ?  How  can 
V  you  take  the  symbol  of  the  precious  blood  into  that 
"  mouth,  which  gave  out  such  barbarous  and  bloody 
"  orders  ?  Depart,  therefore,  and  take  heed  that  you 
"  do  not  increase  your  first  crime  by  the  commis- 
"  si  on  of  a  second." 

Thus,    my  brethren,   should  ministers    discharge 
their  duty  with  fidelity,  and  support  the  dignity  of 
their  character,  and  of  their  order,  and  procure  re- 
spect to  themselves,  as  well  as  reverence  to  the  holy 
ordinances  of  religion.     Like  the  chosen  men  sent  by 
the   council   of  Jerusalem,   they  should  be    ready 
even  to   hazard  their  lives  for  the  sake  of  the  Lord 
Jesus   Christ*     And  what  though  they  should  ac 
tually  lose  their  lives  for  his  sake.     Shall  they  not 
thereby  more  truly   find  them  ?    In   our    Father's 
house  are  many  mansions  ;  and  if  we  are  driven  out 
of  one  of  them  for  his  sake,  we  have  little  faith,  in 
deed,  if  we  are  not  sure  of  being  admitted  into  a 
better.     It  is  not   like  the  wisdom  of  the  great  Ar- 
chitect to  show   his  friends,  in   the   first   instance, 
into  the  best  apartment  of  his  edifice,  and  disappoint 
their  future  expectations.     No  ;  we  are  yet  but  in 
the  portico  or  outer  court  of  his    building ;  and  if 
our  enemies  refuse  us  a  share  in  this  common  apart' 
ment,  and  thrust  us  forward  a  little  before  the  time, 
they  do  us  good  instead  of  evil,  although  it  was  not 
their  purpose.     The  utmost  malice  of  man  can  only 
kill  the  body.     And  what  then  ?     "  Anytus  and  Me- 
"  litus   may  kill  me/?  said   Socrates,  "  but  cannot 
"  hurt  me."     A  faithful  minister,  as  he  says  of  a 
good  man,  needs  fear  no  evil,  either  in  this  or  the 
future  world.     While  he  minds  his  duty,  he  may 
safely  cast  all  other  care  on  God.     It  is  thus   only 

*  Acts  xy.  2£,  20. 


164"  LECTURE  XVII. 

that  a  minister  may  hope  to  secure  even  that  esteem 
and  regard  of  men,  which  some  are  so  much  afraid 
to  lose. 

Far,  however,  be  it  from  me  to  say,  that  a  preach- 
er should  ever  give  way  to  the  spirit  of  railing,  or 
throw  out  any  personal  reflections  in  his  sermons. 
There  is  nothing  from  which  he  should  keep  at  a 
greater  distance,  than  this,  as  it  would  only  expose 
his  own  faults,  without  correcting  those  of  his  peo- 
ple. Besides,  the  time  and  place  are  so  sacred,  that, 
to  speak  in  this  manner,  would  be  to  mispend  the 
one,  and  profane  the  other.  "  Plato,  (said  Dionysius 
,;  who  had  injured  him)  thou  wilt  speak  ill  of  me, 
"  when  thou  art  with  thy  philosophers  in  the  acade- 
"  my." — "  God  forbid  (answered  Plato)  that  we 
;i  should  have  so  much  time  to  lose  in  the  academy 
"  as  to  speak  of  Dionysius." 

It  is  against  the  sin,  by  brethren,  that  we  ought  to 
point  our  arrows,  and  not  against  the  person  of  the 
sinner*.  If,  indeed,  the  sinner  shall  feel  himself  pain- 
ed  when  the  preacher  hits  his  mark,  who  can  help  it  ? 
lie,  and  all  alike  him,  should  be  made  sensible  of  their 
sin  and  danger,  though  they  may  not  wish  to  think 
or  to  hear  of  either.  Like  that  faithful  prophet  Mi- 
cajah,  we  must  declare  what  the  Lord  hath  spoken, 
if  we  should  thereby  incur  the  displeasure  of  Ahab. 
We  are  set  as  watchmen  over  the  house  of  Israel,  and 
if  we  give  no  warning  of  the  danger  which  we  see  ap- 
proaching, the  souls  of  multitudes  may  perish  through 
our  neglect,  but  their  blood  shall  be  terribly  required 
at  our  hands  another  day.  Our  own  danger,  there- 
fore, and  our  duty,  call  equally  loud  with  the  neces- 

*  "  Father,  (said  Louis  XIV.  to  a  pracher  who  had  fal- 
"  len  into  this  fault)  I  like  well  enough  to  take  my  share  of 
*'  a  sermon,  but  do  not  choose  to  be  made  the   subject  of  it." 

Voltaire's  Louis  XIV. 


LECTURE  XVII.  163 

cities  of  our  people,  for  the  utmost  plainness  and 
freedom  of  speech  ;  for  if  the  trumpet  give  an  un- 
certain  sound,  who   will  prepare  himself  far  ihe  hat- 

tur 

Poor  guilty  mortals  love  to  be  soothed,  and  to  be 
allowed  to  sleep  on  the  brink  of  the  precipice.  But 
will  this  foolish  and  perverse  humour,  on  their  part, 
excuse  the  want  of  fidelity  or  compassion  on  ours  ? 
What  should  we  think  of  that  preacher  who  should 
thus  address  his  hearers  ?  "  My  dear  flock,  you  wish 
"  to  perish  quietly  ;  perish  so.  You  hate  to  have 
"  your  consciences  disturbed  in  your  sinful  courses  ; 
"  you  may  then  pursue  them  without  any  let  or  rno- 
"  testation  from  me.  I  would  not  for  the  world  of- 
ei  fend  you,  or  torment  you  before  the  time.  From  this 
"  day  forward,  1  shall  touch  on  none  of  your  sins  ;  I 
u  shall  only  treat  of  vague  and  general  subjects,  and 
"  that  too  in  a  manner  that  will  by  no  means  alarm 
"  you.  Some  diseased  minds,  I  know,  are  ready  to 
"  take  offence,  when  the  preacher  thought  of  giving 
"  no  cause.  Conscious  of  having  merited  reproof, 
"  they  imagine  that  what  is  said  is  aimed  at  them- 
"  selves.  But  I  will  guard  as  much  as  possible  against 
"  offending  even  these.  I  will  cast  all  my  harmless 
"  darts  so  wide  of  the  mark,  as  to  raise  no  suspicion, 
"  even  in  such,  of  their  having  been  designed  for 
"  them.  Thus,  my  dear  flock,  we  shall  live  together 
"  in  amity  and  peace,  neither  disturbing  nor  disturb- 
"  ed." 

Yes,  "  Men  may  live  fools,  but  fools  they  cannot 
1  die"  We  may  sacrifice  our  duty  to  a  base  com- 
plaisance, a  slavish  fear,  and  live  in  a  sinful  league 
with  our  people  ;  but  will  they  answer  for  us  when 
we  come  to  die,  or  will  they  stand  between  us  and 

#  "  Si  cujus  igitur  sermo  non  pungit,  sed  oblectationem 
"  facit  audientibus,  iste  non  est  sermo  e&pientes,  verba  quippe 
"  sapientium  ut  stimuli."     Jerum. 


166  LECTURE  xvn.s 

the  wrath  of  Jehovah  when  we  come  to  be  judged  ? 
No  ;  this  they  dare  not  promise  ;  on  this  we  dare  not 
rely.  We  must,  therefore,  deal  plainly  by  the  souls 
of  men,  whether  they  will  be  pleased  or  not.  A  re- 
gard to  God,  to  duty  and  to  truth,  and  a  conscious- 
ness of  having  acted  our  part  as  we  ought,  should 
more  than  balance  every  other  consideration.  Yes, 
my  brethren,  when  we  cannot  please  God  and  men, 
we  cannot  be  at  a  loss  whose  favour  we  ought  to 
prefer.  It  is  to  God,  our  master  and  our  judge,  that 
we  are  to  approve  ourselves,  and  not  to  men,  how- 
ever rich  or  great.  Yet,  even  from  these,  a  faithful 
reproof  will  get  more  love  and  honour  at  the  last 
than  a  sinful  silence,  or  a  criminal  dissimulation. 
The  Baptist  reproved  Herod,  for  which  Herod  rever- 
enced the  faithful  Baptist.  Paul  reproved  the  dissi- 
mulation of  Peter,  yet  Peter  commended  the  wisdom 
of  his  reprover.  Luther  reproved  Calvin,  for  which 
Calvin  called  Luther  a  faithful  servant  of  God. 
The  bold  and  elegant  Chrysostom  reproved,  with 
unparalleled  severity,  that  mighty  city  of  which  he 
had  the  pastoral  charge,  and,  in  the  most  solemn 
manner,  told  it's  inhabitants,  that  out  of  all  their 
thousands  he  could  scarcely  hope,  if  they  went  on, 
that  even  one  hundred  souls  could  be  saved  !  And 
how  did  this  people  receive  so  dreadful  a  censure  ? 
Did  they  hate  the  man  who  gave  it,  did  they  perse- 
cute him,  did  they  kill  him  ?  No  ;  on  the  contrary, 
when  he  wTas  persecuted  by  the  Herodias  of  the  times, 
they'  prayed,  "  that  the  sun  might  rather  withdraw 
"  his  beams,  than  that  the  mouth  of  faithful  Chry- 
"  sostom  should  be  stopped." 

Further,  in  the  texture  of  our  sermons,  and  in  the 
discharge  of  our  duty,  we  should  divest  ourselves 
not  only  of  all  respect  of  persons,  but  also  of  all  the 
ties  of  blood  and  relation.  It  is  to  the  eternal  ho- 
nour of  Levi,  that  Moses  records  of  him,  in  this  sense, 
that  he  said  unto  his  father,  and  to  his  mother,  I  have 


LECTURE  XVII.  267 

not  seen  him,  neither  did  he  acknowledge  his  brethren, 
nor  knew  his  oxen  children.  Thus  should  ministers  of 
the  gospel  be  free  of  all  partiality,  prejudice  and  pas- 
sion, if  they  wish  to  be  accounted  faithful  stewards  in 
the  house  of  God.  With  a  single  eye  to  the  glory  of 
God  and  the  good  of  souls,  they  should  go  through 
every  part  of  their  function. 

When  we  say  that  a  minister  should  be  faithfujr 
in  declaring  all  the  counsel  of  God,  we  must  observe, 
that,  before  he  can  discharge  this  part  of  the  duty 
aright,  he  must  be  irreproachable  in  regard  to  his 
own  morals.  He  can  never  reprove  with  boldness 
or  success  those  things  to  which  he  himself  is  addict- 
ed, nor  can  he  warmly  recommend  those  virtues  and 
graces,  to  which  he  himself  is  a  stranger.  Lamenta- 
ble, indeed,  is  the  case  of  that  minister  who  thus 
dares  not,  for  shame,  inculcate  every  duty,  and  re- 
prove every  sin  with  freedom  :  But  altogether  des- 
perate is  his  condition,  if,  with  horrid  unfaithfulness, 
he  either  conceals  or  explains  away  any  necessary 
truth,  in  order  to  reconcile  his  wicked  conduct  to 
his  holy  calling.  A  minister  must,  therefore,  be 
blameless,  a  minister  must  be  pious,  a  minister  must 
be  holy,  before  he  can  preach  to  his  people  their  du  i 
ty  in  it's  full  Spirit  and  extent.  Otherwise,  his  preach 
ing  is  a  satire  upon  himself ;  it  is,  according  to  the 
proverb,  as  if  Satan  should  reprove  sin, 

A  faithful  minister,  I  will  yet  add,  will  not  only 
preach  the  gospel  of  God  in  all  it's  Spirit  and  extent, 
without  any  human  or  selfish  regard,  and  give,  in 
his  life,  a  true  comment  on  his  sermons,  but  will  al- 
so urge  every  message  which  he  delivers,  chiefly  by 
arguments  and  motives  derived  from  the  gospel  itself  *„ 
"  When  we  preach  what  is  the  result  of  mere  human 
"  reason,  we  practically  declare  that  we  have  no  high 

*  u  How  oft,  when   Paul  has  served  us  with  a  text, 
"  HasEpictetus,  Plato,  Tully  preach'd."      Cowper, 


168  LECTURE  xvn. 

"  esteem  for  the  gospel,  and  have  forgot  our  com- 
"  mission  as  ambassadors  of  Christ.  It  would  be  rec- 
4<  koned  arrogant  presumption  even  in  the  ambassa- 
"  dor  of  an  earthly  prince,  should  he  exceed  his  in- 
"  structions,  and  betake  himself  to  his  own  sagacity 
li  in  adjusting  the  differences  of  his  sovereign  with 
u  neighbouring"  states.  And  can  an  ambassador  com 
tk  missioned  by  him  in  whom  are  hid  all  the  treasures 
"  of  wisdom  and  knowledge,  be  thus  unfaithful, 
64  without  the  most  daring  and  impious  insolence  ? 
u  He  bids  fairest  to  preach  with  success,  who  preach- 
a  es  in  words,  not  of  man's  wisdom,  but  which  the 
"  Holy  Ghost  teachetht."  A  faithful  minister  knows, 

*  that"  the  great  God  is  jealous  of  the  honour  of  his 
f  Son  Jesus,  and  will  not  condescend  to  bless  any  o- 
r  ther  mean  than  that  which  he  hath  established  for 
"  saving  sinners.  If  the  prophets  will  not  stand  in  his 
"  counsel,  nor  cause  the  people  to  hear  his  words,  they 
"  will  never  be  able  to  turn  Israel  from  the  iniquity  of 
"their  ways,  nor  the  evil  of  their  doings.  No,  my 
"  brother,  had  you  all  the  philosophy  of  Socrates, 
u  the  knowledge  of  Plato,  and  the  morals  of  Epicte- 

#  tus  ;  were  you  furnished  with  all  the  flowing  ora- 
"  tory  of  Cicero,  and  with  Demosthenes's  thunder ; 
u  and  could  you  employ  all  these  talents  in  every 
li  sermon  you  preach,  yet  you  could  have  no  reason - 
"  able  hope  of  saving  one  soul  by  all  these,  without 
"  the  aids  of  the  gospel.  It  is  the  gospel  alone  that  is 
•'  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation.  And  though  e- 
"  very  sort  of  weapon  may  be  used,  and  ought  to 
"  be  used  in  it's  proper  place,  to  make  assaults  on  the 
"  kingdom  of  Satan  ;  yet  it  is  only  through  the  blood 
"  of  the  Lamb  that  we  can  obtain  the  victory  — 
"  Though  every  balm  may  be  applied  to  our 
4i  wounds,  it  is  the  gospel  alone  that  can  furnish  us 
"  with  those  sovereign  remedies,  that  can  heal  the 

f  Dr.  Enkine's  Syn.  Serin. 


r 


LECTURE.XVII.  ]  ()Q 

u  diseases  of  the  soul,  and  reform  mankind.  Unless, 
"  therefore,  you  have  such  an  high  esteem  for  the 
'•  gospel  of  Christ,  and  such  a  sense  of  it's  divine 
"  worth  and  power,  as  to  take  it  along  with  you  in 
"  all  your  efforts  to  save  souls,  you  had  better  lay 
"  down  the  ministry,  and  abandon  your  sacred  pro- 
n  fession,  for  you  will  but  spend  your  strength  for 
<;  nought,  and  waste  your  breath  in  vain  deelama- 
li  tion.  You  will  neither  save  your  own  soul,  nor 
'*  those  that  hear  you  ;  and  you  will  have  a  terrible 
*;  account  to  give  at  the  last  day,  of  what  you  have 
"  done  with  this  gospel,  which  God  did  you  the  ho- 
"  nour  to  put  you  in  trust  with,  for  the  salvation  of 
"  souls*. *? 

Besides  deriving  the  arguments  or  motives  by  which 
we  enforce  our  message,  chiefly  from  the  gospel,  it 
is  likewise  of  much  consequence  that  we  shall  gene- 
rally make  use  of  scriptural  language.  It  is  from  not 
attending  to  this,  that  the  christian  church  has  been 
so  often  distressed  with  unhappy  divisions  and  keen 
disputes.  All  parties  agree  about  the  text,  and  dif- 
fer only  about  some  modes  of  explanation.  Terms  of 
art  have  been  invented  to  express  this  or  that  doc- 
trine or  mystery  in  the  word  of  God,  which  had 
better  have  been  let  alone  in  the  simplicity,  or,  if  you 
will,  in  the  obscurity,  in  which  God  himself  hath 
left  them.  Attempts  have  been  made  to  pass  those 
terms  as  current  coin  upon  the  world  :  But  such 
attempts  have  been  as  often  opposed  ;  as  God,  in  or- 
der to  guard  the  human  mind  from  error,  has  im- 
planted in  it  a  strong  jealousy  of  innovations  in  re- 
ligion, and  an  extreme  aversion  to  that  tyranny  with 
which  some  men  would  lord  it  over  the  conscience. 
Hence  the  theological  disputes  and  the  religious  wars 
which  have  long  infested,  and  still  infest,  the  church 

*  Watts's  Humble  Attempt  towards  the  revival  of  practi- 
cal religion. 

x 


170  LECTURE   XVIf 

of  Christ.  The  inventions  of  men,  and  not  there 
velation  of  God,  are  the  ordinary  cause  of  them, 
For  if,  in  all  disputed  points,  men  would  satisfy  them- 
selves with  using  only  the  language  of  scripture,  and 
not  affect  to  be  wise  above  what  is  written,  all  par- 
ties might  soon  he  reconciled. 

Therefore,  my  brethren,  let  us,  at  least  in  all  mat- 
ters of  dispute,  adhere  invariably   to  the  language 
and  mode  of  expression  used  in  the  scriptures.     Let 
ns  not  presume  to  attempt  the  explaining  or  defin- 
ing of  what  has  not  been  explained  or  defined  by 
the  inspired  writers,  lest  we  draw  on   ourselves   the 
curse  denounced  against  those  who  would  add  to  the 
word   of  God.     Let  us   not   attempt  to   impose  a 
hardship  on  the   consciences  of  men,  which    God 
himself  hath  not  imposed,  lest  we  shall  be  found  ex- 
alting ourselves  in  the  place  of  God,  and  warring 
against  him  in  his  holy  temple.    Let  us  remember  it 
is  not  only  the  peace  of  others,  but  our  own  happiness 
too,  that   is  concerned.     Therefore,  to  secure  both, 
and  to  avoid  giving  offence  to  God  or  man,  it  is  sure- 
ly worth  while  to  hold,    in  every  dark  or  disputed 
point,  by  the  express  and  identical  language  of  scrip 
ture,  which  will  answer  every  purpose  of  edification. 
A  plain  man,  who  seeks  his  religion  only  in  his 
Bible,  and  reads  that  sacred  volume  with  no  other 
view  than  to  know  and  perform  his  duty,  will  meet 
with  very  few  things  at  which  he  will  stumble.     A 
good  man,  who  had  taken  this  course  with  comfort, 
1'or  the  most  of  his  life,  fell  in  at  length  with  a  book 
which  pretended  to  explain  a  great  many  difficulties 
and  mysteries,  which  hitherto  he  had  not  observed. 
From  this  he  passed  to  another,  which  gave  a  quite 
different   account  of  such    matters.     As  he  under 
stood  neither  so  well  as  his   Bible,   he  took  down  a 
lono"  list  of  their  learned  words  and  hard  terms,  in 
order  to  examine  what  was  said  of  them  in'tne  scrip- 
tures.    But,  in   the  scriptures,  to  his  astonishment, 


LECTURE   XVII.  171 

he  coulcl  find  no  such  expressions  ;  nor  did  he  appre- 
hend such  darkness  in  the  doctrines,  as  in  the  pre- 
tended explanations.  The  fools,  said  he,  are  fight- 
ing about  their  own  fictions,  and  the  water  that  was 
pure  is  soiled  by  their  footsteps.  1  will  leave  their 
polluted  streams  to  themselves,  and  return  again  to 
the  fountain.  O  God,  who  knowest  all  things,  thou 
knowest  I  love  thee,  and  sincerely  desire  to  know 
thy  will,  as  revealed  in  the  holy  scriptures.  If  in  any 
thing  I  err,  thou  knowest  it  is  owing  to  the  weak- 
ness of  my  powers,  and  not  to  the  perverseness  of 
my  heart.  I  trust,  therefore,  1  know  so  much  of 
thy  nature  as  to  make  me  sure  of  one  thing,  that 
thou  wilt,  through  Jesus  Christ,  pity  this  weak- 
ness, and  not  charge  me  with  guilt  for  my  involunta- 
ry and  invincible  ignorance.  Let  others,  therefore, 
dispute  ;  I  will  love,  adore,  and  obey,  which,  I  am 
satisfied,  will,  through  the  merits  of  my  Saviour, 
procure  me  thy  favour  and  acceptance, 


LECTURE  XVrtl. 

That  a  minister  of  the  gospel  should  study  clearness  of 
Method  and  Plainness  of  Stile. 

TO  teach  and  to  persuade  men  to  be  holy  is  the 
end  proposed  by  preaching.  To  attain  this  end,  the 
preacher's  business  in  a  sermon  is,  to  explain  con- 
vince, and  to  move  the  passions.  Whatever  subject 
he  treats  of,  the  first  point  is,  to  make  the  nature  of 
it  clear  and  plain  to  the  understanding  :  The  next 
is,  by  solid  and  clear,  and  strong  proofs,  to  convince 
the  judgment  :  And  the  last  is,  to  move  the  passions, 
and  to  persuade  to  what  he  proposes.  To  attend  to 
this  order  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to  the  sacred 
orator,  as  much  of  the  success  of  his  preaching,  hu- 
manly speaking,  must  depend  upon  it ;  for  how 
should  he  hope  to  persuade  a  rational  being  to  any 
thing  he  proposes,  till  he  make  him  first  understand 
what  it  is,  and  see  that  it  is  his  interest  to  take  his 
counsel.  Attention  to  the  order  just  now  laid  down 
will  likewise  direct  to  the  stile  and  delivery  proper 
for  each  part  of  the  sermon.  The  stile  of  the  first 
should  be  simple,  easy,  and  unadorned  ;  that  of  the 
second,  clear,  strong,  and  forcible ;  and  that  of  the 
third,  more  lively,  ornamented,  and  pathetic.  In 
like  manner,  the  delivery  of  the  first  should  be  calm, 
soft  and  insinuating,  much  the  same  as  in  conversa 
tion  ;  of  the  second,  slow,  firm,  and  determined; 
and  of  the  third,  more  quick,  warm,  and  passionate. 
In  a  word,  the  language  and  delivery  should  be  suc- 
cessively adapted  to  the  understanding,  the  judgment, 
and  the  passions  ;  for  these  are  successively  addres- 
sed 


LECTURE    XVIII.  173 

In  laying  down  your  method,  you  must  observe 
that  your  division  of  the  subject  be  natural,  the 
transitions  easy,  the  connection  clear,  the  introduc- 
tion and  conclusion  short  and  pertinent.  Let  your 
heads  he  few,  and  never  run  into  each  other,  nor 
digress  to  any  thing  foreign.  Let  all  your  heads,and 
all  your  arguments  under  them,  conspire  to  one  fix- 
ed determinate  point,  by  rhetoricians  called  unify. — 
If  you  offer  to  divert  the  attention  from  one  thing  to 
another,  you  fix  it  on  nothing  ;  and  you  will  neither 
engage  nor  interest  it.  Every  thing,  therefore,  that 
you  advance,  must,  like  all  the  oxen  in  the  team, 
draw  exactly  the  same  way,  and  directly  tend  to  the 
same  point.  The  not  attending  to  this  is  the  reason 
that  so  many  sermons  produce  so  little  effect  upon 
the  hearers. 

Having  fixed  your  method,  you  are  next  to  choose 
and  rank  your  arguments.  Let  these  be  strong  ra- 
ther  than  many.  Too  many  will  tire  ;  and  the 
weak,  like  the  equipage  of  an  Eastern  march,  will 
only  incommode  the  strong,  and  hurt  the  cause, 
which  does  not  at  all  need  them.  Place  your 
strongest  arguments  last,  and  the  less  powerful  in 
the  middle,  rather  than  in  the  front.  Offer  no  proof 
of  what  is  self-evident  or  believed  already,  lest  you 
should  shake  the  faith  that  is  already  firm.  For  the 
same  reason,  you  are  to  raise  no  objections.  These 
will  be  remembered  when  your  answer  is  forgotten  ; 
and  if  your  people  know  only  the  truth,  and  do  it, 
they  are  surely  happy  in  their  ignorance  of  error. 

Whatever  arguments  or  illustrations  you  make 
use  of,  you  must  observe,  that  they  be  not  only 
strong,  but  clear  and  easily  comprehended.  Every 
word  of  them  must  be  plain,  and  the  subject  from 
which  they  are  taken  familiar.  Your  chief  proofs, 
however,  must  always  rest  on  the  sacred  scriptures. 
Short  and  plain  reasonings,  founded  on  their  autho- 


574  LECTURE  XVIII. 

rity,  are  always    the  most  likely  to  produce  convic- 
tion ;  for  such  is  the  Holy  Spirit's  teaching*. 

But  while  you  are  thus  solicitous  about  your  mat- 
ter, you  must  not  divest  yourself  of  all  care  about 
your   language.     This,  however,   for  your   greater 
ease,    (by  the  division  of  labour),  ought  not  to  be 
thought  of  till  you  have  first  jotted  down  your  mat- 
ter.    Then  when  you  come  to  the  composition  of 
your   sermons,  you   ought  neither  to  affect  a  pom 
pous   diction,  nor  yet  descend  to  the  low  and  mean 
stile.     You  should  not  be  slovenly,  nor  yet  show 
much  labour  and  art.     A  certain  majestic  simplicity 
best  becomes  an  ambassador  of  Jesus.     In  this,  as  in 
every  thing  else,  Jesus  himself  hath  left  us  an  ex- 
ample.    In  all  his  discourses,  what  a  beautiful  sim- 
plicity, mixed  with  incomparable  dignity  and  majes- 
ty !  All  the  inspired  writings  indeed  are  marked  with 
'  perspicuity  and  plainness,  as  their  distinguishing  cha  - 
racter,  when  prophecy  and  mystery  require  not  some 
veil  to  be  thrown  over  them.     Hence  it  is  the  pecu- 
liar excellence   of  scripture,  that  almost  ever^y  sen- 
tence of  it,  taken  single  and  detached,   is   no  less 
beautiful   and  useful,  than  when  considered  in  it's 
connection  with  that  whole   of  which  it  is  a  part. 
You  may  break  the  golden  chain,  and  derange  it's 
beautiful  contexture  ;  but  the  links  are  the  same  pre- 
cious  metal  still.     You  will  find  in  every  sentence 
some  useful   maxim  or  example,  for  the  conduct  of 
life,  or  some  special  consolation  under  it's  trials.     In 
this  we  may  discover  the  admirable  mercy,  as  well  as 
wisdom,  of   the   spirit  that  inspired  the   scriptures. 
They  were  designed  for  general  usefulness  ;  but  the 
generality  of  mankind,  either  from  incapacity  or  in- 
attention, cannot  discern  the  beauty,  scope,  and  con- 
nection of  a  long   argument  or  chain  of  reasoning, 
which  the  subject  rendered  sometimes  necessary. — 
Yet  even  then,   every  single  sentence  is  forcible  and 
pointed,  and  calculated  both  by  the  plainness  of  the 


lecture  xvnr,  175 

language,  and  the  importance  of  the  subject,  to  lay 
hold  of  the  memory,  and  improve  the  heart.  In  the 
composition  of  our  sermons,  we  should  study  the 
same  simplicity  and  clearness.  Our  subjects  are,  or 
ought  to  be,  almost  always  plain.  Our  language, 
too,  like  a  transparent  stream,  should  at  once  reveal 
our  meaning,  and  be  as  perspicuous  as  possible.  Eve- 
ry word  which  we  utter  should  be  understood  by  the 
most  ignorant  and  unlearned  of  our  hearers  ;  and  the 
sense  of  the  whole,  ic  like  the  light  of  the  sun,  should 
"  obtrude  itself  upon  his  eyes,  not  only  without  any 
"  pains  to  search  for  it,  but,  as  it  were,  whether  he 
"  will  or  not*."  Except  ye  utter  words  easy  to  be 
understood,  says  the  apostle,  ye  speak  into  the  air. 
Your  people,  or  at  least  the  bulk  of  them,  will 
reap  no  benefit,  and  you  cannot  be  surprised,  if,  after 
frequent  disappointments,  they  should  attend  but  sel- 
dom. 

It  is  necessary,  therefore,  my  brethren,  to  put  our- 
selves in  the  place  of  the  lowest  of  our  hearers  ;  to 
consider  that  what  is  clear  and  familiar  to  us,  may 
be  dark  and  strange  to  him  ;  and  to  say  nothing  that 
is  not  level  to  his  capacity.  In  doing  this,  we  may 
easily  avoid  all  wdrds  that  are  mean  and  vulgar,  so  a& 
to  make  our  discourse  no  less  useful  to  the  highest 
than  the  lowest  understanding  ;  for  the  matter  that 
will  suit  the  one  will  equally  suit  the  other  ;  they 
have  both  the  same  exigencies.  If  they  had  not,  the 
poor  and  ignorant  have  always  the  first  claim,  for 
they  generally  make  the  greatest  number.  From 
both,  it  is  true,  we  might  obtain  more  admiration 
and  applause  by  following  a  different  course.  But 
our  business  is  not  to  get  applause  to  ourselves,  but 
glory  to  God,  and  good  to  our  people.  Our  busi 
ness  is  to  make  men  think,  not  of  our  eloquence, 
but  of  their  own   souls?  to   attend,  not  to  our  t'tnc 

*  Quinctil.  I.  &. 


170  LECTURE  XVIII. 

language,  but  to  their  own  everlasting  interest.  One 
of  the  ancient  fathers  used  to  weep  when  his  hearers 
applauded  his  sermon.  "Would  to  God,"  said  he, 
v<  they  had  rather  gone  away  silent  and  thoughtful  !'? 
He  considered  serious  and  deep  reflection  on  their 
own  state  to  be  the  best  effect  of  a  discourse  upon  the 
hearers,  and  the  best  commendation  of  the  preacher. 
That  great  monarch,  who  so  finely  complimented 
the  eloquent  bishop  of  Clermont,  seems  to  have  been 
of  the  same  opinion.  "  Father,'3  said  he,  "  I  have 
u  heard  many  great  orators,  and  heard  them  with 
"  pleasure ;  but  for  you,  whenever  1  hear  you,  I  go 
"  away  displeased  with  myself,  for  I  see  more  of  my 
"  own  character." 

Do  we  wish,  my  brethren,  that  our  sermons 
should  produce  the  like  effect  ?  Then  let  us  not  ex- 
pect it  from  the  ostentation  of  learning,  or  from  the 
parade  of  eloquence.  Our  fine  flowing  sentences, 
and  well-turned  periods  few  will  be  able  to  follow  to 
the  end,  or  to  understand;  and  if  they  should,  will 
be  little  the  better.  The  ear,  indeed,  may  be  pleased, 
but  the  mind  and  heart  will  be  as  ignorant  and  un- 
reformed  as  ever.  Therefore  let  your  words  be  all 
plain  and  clear,  your  sentences  generally  short,  or, 
if  at  any  time  somewhat  long,  never  dark  or  per- 
plexed. Never  be  careless,  neither  be  artificial. — 
Never  multiply  words  without  cause ;  for  they  will 
only  serve  to  hide  your  meaning,  perhaps  to  impair 
it ;  as  the  fruit  is  seldom  abundant  where  the  foliage 
is  too  luxuriant.  Never  show  your  learning  at  the 
expence  of  perspicuity,  nor  use  any  ornament  at  the 
expence  of  utility.  Rhetorical  flourishes,  if  used  at 
all,  must  be  scattered  with  a  very  sparing  hand. 
"  Like  red  and  yellow  flowers  in  corn,  they  may  be 
'*  agreeable  to  the  man  who  comes  only  for  amuse- 
"  ment,  but  prejudicial  to  him  that  would  reap  the 
"  profit."  Yes,  my  brethren,  these  are  no  better 
than  tares  which  t lie  enemy  sows  among  the  good 


LECTURE  XVIII.  177 

seed,  however  different  may  be  the  opinion  of  some 
gay  preachers,  who  would  rather  recommend  them- 
selves than  their  Saviour,  and  who  would  rather 
have  their  hearers  admire  their  language  than  take 
their  counsel.  I  know  that  such  fine  preachers,  full 
of  their  own  importance,  and  buoyed  up  with  the 
pride  of  what  they  suppose  to  be  superior  talents, 
will  be  apt,  with  the  poet,  to 
"  Scorn  the  vile  mob,  which  knows  not  right  from  wrong*/;) 

But  it  should  be  remembered,  that  those  poor  people, 
who  make  the  bulk  of  most  congregations,  though 
no  judges  of  fine  composition,  have  precious  souls  ; 
and  that  these  souls  can  never  be  saved  by  preaching 
the  gospel  to  them  in  an  unknown  tongue. 

The  best  preacher,  by  which  I  mean  the  most 
useful,  is  always  the  most  plaint.  "  I  love,"  says 
the  archbishop  of  Cambray,  "  a  plain,  serious  preach- 
"  er,  who  speaks  for  my  sake,  and  not  for  his  own ; 
"  who  seeks  my  salvation,  and  not  his  own  vain 
"  glory."  It  is  true,  such  a  preacher  may  not  al- 
ways have  praise  from  men,  who  often  admire  most 
what  they  least  understand! .  But  his  words,  aimed 
directly  at  the  heart,  will  take  effect  when  those  of  the 
learned  declaimer,  like  arrows  shot  in  the  air,  will  pass 

*  Rejice  degenerem  vulgurn,  nil  lucis  habentem.  Vida. 
And  Robinson  on  Claude, 

t  Optimi  ad  vulgus  hi  snnt  concionatores,  qui  pueriliter, 
populariter,  et  simplicissime  docent.  Luther. 

t  Docente  te  in  ecclesia,  non  clamor  populi,  sed  gemitus, 
suscitetur  ;  lacrymse  auditorum  laudestuse  sint.  Verba  vol- 
vere,  et  celeritate  dicendi  apud  imperitum  vulgus  admira. 
tionem  facere,  indoctorurn  hominumest.  Nil  tain  facile  quam 
vilem  plebiculam  ct  in  doe  t  am  concione  linguajque  volubili- 
tate  decipire  ;  quiaquicquid  nonintelligit  plus  miratur.  J»- 
rom.  ad  Nepct. 

Y 


178  lecture  xvni. 

over  the  heads  of  his  hearers,  and  only  amuse  thefr 
ears  with  an  empty  tinkling  sound*.  To  see  a  pas- 
ter harangue  in  this  manner,  when 

"  The  hungrj  sheep  look  up  and  are  not  fed/' 

is  one  of  the  most  pitiable  scenes  in  nature.  It  puts 
one  in  mind  of  the  fabled  misery  of  Tantalus,  whose 
parched  lips  were  not  permitted  to  taste  of  that 
stream  which  perpetually  murmured  before  him. 
Such  a  preacher  may  perhaps  be  complimented  as 
a  deep  reasoner  and  an  able  logician  ;  but,  alas ! 
this  is  a  poor  equivalent  for  starving  the  souls  of 
his  hearers,  by  neglecting  to  give  them  that  plain  and 
nourishing  bread  which  came  down  from  heaven. 
How  different  was  the  conduct  of  the  great  reformer 
Luther  !  In  the  life  of  this  learned  man,  written  by 
Adams,  there  are  inserted  some  of  those  homely 
rhymes  which  he  composed  for  the  sake  of  the  vulgar. 
"  For  these  beggarly  ballads,"  says  a  late  writert, 
"  Luther  may  receive  a  greater  reward  at  the  last 
u  day,  than  for  whole  shelves  of  learned  folios.  Va- 
u  nity  will  make  a  man  speak  and  write  learnedly  ; 
"  but  piety  only  can  prevail  on  a  good  scholar  to  sim- 
"  plify  his  speech  for  the  sake  of  the  vulgar.  Such 
u  a  preacher,  however  contemptible  now,  will  one 
"  day  have  a  name  above  every  name,  whether  it  be 
"  philosopher,  .poet,  orator,  or  whatever  is  most  re- 
"  vered  among  mankind."  And  if  we,  my  brethren,. 
wish  this  honour  to   be  ours,  we    must  study  not 

*  Suprema  ill i  concionandi  lex  erat  populi  salus.  Neque 
id  ille  in  concione  egit  ut  auditorum  aures  inani  verborum 
tinnitu  deliniret  ;  sed  ut  res  utilissimas  suaviter  in  illorum 
pectora  insinuaret  ;  ut  ad  auditorum  captum,  sermonem  su« 
urn  attemperaret  ;  eorumque  adeo  fidem  ac  pietatem  unice 
promoveret»     Vita  Laur.  Chardelon, 

f  Robinson  on  Claude's  Essay. 


LECTURE  XVIII.  179 

*o  much  to  please,  as  to  profit ;  not  so  much  to  charm 
the  ear,  as  to  feed  the  soul  and  mend  the  heart.  And 
to  encourage  us  to  this,  we  shall  generally,  if  not  al- 
ways, find,  that  he  will  please  his  hearers  most,  who 
makes  it  least  his  aim. 

Above  all,  "  it  we  would  attain  to  the  true  stile 
"  and  eloquence  of  sermons,  we  must  cherish  an 
"  inward  sense  of  the  importance  and  cxcellencv 
"  of  sacred  truths,  and  cultivate  a  strong  feeling  of 
u  all  the  virtues.  For  when  our  own  hearts  have  or.ee 
"  felt  the  warmth  of  divine  things,  it  will  be  easy  for 

*  us  to  transfuse  it  into  the  breasts  of  others.  The 
"  inward  feelings  of  a  good  heart  have  a  natural 
t(  eloquence  accompanying  them,  which  can  never 
Ci  be  equalled  by  laboured  and  studied  ornament. 
6i  The  heart,  really  and  justly  moved,  never  fails  to 
Ci  dictate  a  language  plain  and  easy,  full  of  natural  and 

*  continued  vigour,  which  has  nothing  in  it  soft, 
"  nothing  languishing  ;  all  is  nervous  and  strong; 
:i  and  does  not  so  much  please  the  ear,  as  ravish  and 
ci  fill  the  heart.  Further,  let  it  be  taken  notice  of 
"  as  a  thing  of  the  utmost  importance,  that  sincerity 
"  alone,  and  a  real  desire  to  instruct  and  persuade, 
"  will  banish  all  affectation,  either  of  sentiment  or 
*'  language.  This  is  evident  from  the  conduct  of 
u  mankind  in  circumstances  in  which  they  are  in 
"  earnest.    For  instance,  a  wise,  virtuous,  and  pious 

*  parent,  when  he  has  a  near  prospect  of  entering 
"  into  an  invisible  world,  and  only  so  much  strength 
"  remaining  as  to  enable  him  to  give  his  last  and  dy- 
"  ing  instructions  to  his  beloved  children  who  stand 
u  weeping  around  him  ;  will  he  study  to  express  him- 

*  self  with  artificial  eloquence,  and  industriously 
"  search  for  glittering  ornament  ?  Surely  he  will 
tl  not.  Or,  if  he  should,  how  absurd,  nay,  how 
*'  shocking  and  monstrous  would  his  conduct  appear 
u  to  every  impartial  spectator?  The  application  is 
"  easy,  and  there  is  no  occasion  for  insisting  on  it. 


180  LECTURE  XVIII. 

"  Allow  me  then  to  close  this  part  of  the  subject 
u  with  observing,  that  this  divine  eloquence  cannot 
"  be  acquired  merely  by  human  learning  and  skill  in 
16  the  choice  and  arrangement  of  words,  but  by  a 
"  powerful  feeling  of  what  is  great  and  good,  produ- 
"  ced  in  us  by  the  holy  spirit  of  God*." 

*  Prin.  Lcechman's  Syn.  Ser* 


LECTURE  XIX. 

Thai  a  Minister  of  the  Gnspel  should  attend  much  to 
his  Enunciation  and  Action  in  the  Delivery  of  his 
Sermons. 

THE  best  judges  among  the  ancients  have  repre- 
sented delivery  as  the  principal  part  of  an  orator's  pro- 
vince. They  tell  us,  that  it  is  not  of  so  much  mo- 
ment what  our  compositions  are,  as  how  they  are 
delivered.  And,  therefore,  they  scruple  not  to  affirm, 
that  an  indifferent  discourse,  properly  set  off,  will 
have  a  greater  effect  upon  an  audience,  than  the 
finest  composition,  when  destitute  of  this  advantage. 
Much,  therefore,  of  a  preacher's  success  and  power 
of  persuasion  will  depend  on  his  delivery.  All  his 
preparative  labour  and  study  are  subservient  to  this 
end,  and  will  only  have  so  much  value  as  this  will 
stamp  on  them. 

"  This  is  the  last  key  stone, 

"  That  makes  the  arch.     The  rest,  that  there  were  put, 
"  Are  nothing,  till  this  comes  to  bind  and  shut." 

With  what  may  be  requisite  to  a  good  delivery,  I 
suppose,  my  brethren,  you  are  already  acquainted, 
so  that  I  need  not  enter  much  into  the  subject.  I 
shall  only  suggest  a  few  hints,  and  call  you  to  a  di- 
ligent cultivation  of  the  art,  which  has  no  dfiiculty 
that  may  not  be  conquered  by  application  ;  for  it  is 
on  all  hands  allowed,  that  though  a  poet  must  be 
born  one,  an  orator  may  be  made*.  The  first  re- 
quisite, then,  is  to  speak  so  as  to  be  heard  with  ease 

*  Nascitur  poeta,  fit  orator. 


18*  LECTURE   XIX. 

by  the  most  distant  of  your  audience,  otherwise  to 
them  you  speak  in  vain.  You  are  not,  however,  to 
go  to  the  other  extreme,  and  strain  your  voice  more 
than  is  necessary  ;  for  this  would  have  the  appear- 
ance of  being  painful  to  yourself,  and  would,  there- 
fore, be  uneasy  and  disgustful  to  others.  To  speak 
audibly  enough,  you  must  observe,  that  it  is  not  at 
all  so  necessary  to  speak  loud  as  to  be  full,  distinct 
and  deliberate,  and  to  keep  your  voice  from  sinking 
too  much  when  a  sentence  is  near  a  close.  It  is  bet- 
ter to  begin  the  following  period  a  degree  lower  than 
you  concluded  the  former. 

The  next  requisite  to  a  good  delivery,  is  a  proper 
and  graceful  pronunciation,  including  the  just  use  of 
pauses,  tones,  and  emphases.  This  part  of  delivery 
is  best  learned  from  attending  to  such  as  speak  the 
language  with  most  propriety,  whether  in  conversa- 
tion or  in  public.  You  must  avoid  imitating  any 
particular  person's  voice  or  manner,  which  would 
make  you  appear  affected,  if  not  awkward.  You 
must  avoid  all  monotony,  whether  it  be  that  of 
pronouncing  every  word  with  uniform  languor,  or 
uniform  force  and  energy  ;  for  both  would  equally 
tire  and  fatigue  the  attention  of  the  hearers.  You 
must  avoid  singing  or  chaunting,  which  will  disgust  all 
but  the  very  weakest,  and  cannot,  sorely,  make  them 
in  the  smallest  degree  the  wiser  or  the  better.  On 
the  contrary,  by  diverting  the  attention  from  the 
subject  to  the  sound,  they  are  made  listless,  or  per- 
haps lulled  asleep,  as  children,  by  a  song.  This  is 
the  natural  effect  of  a  sing-song  or  cant,  and  perhaps 
the  true  reason  that  makes  it  (by  relieving  the  atten- 
tion) so  acceptable  to  the  lowest  and  weakest  people 
and  so  much  practised  by  weak  and  designing  speak- 
ers. To  say  the  best  of  it,  it  is  but  making  sound 
pass  instead  of  sense  ;  "just  as  cripples  get  on  horse- 

*  back,"  said  an  ancient  orator,  u  in  order  to  con- 

*  ceal  their  lameness."     Setting  this  trick  aside,  then 


LECTURE  XIX.  l&$ 

address  your  people  as  you  would  do  a  friend,  when 
you  would  inform  or  persuade  him  in  a  matter 
of  vast  moment,  only  with  more  deliberativeness, 
energy  and  warmth,  in  proportion  to  the  numbers 
you  may  have  occasion  to  speak  to. 

A  third  requisite  to   a  good  delivery,    is   proper 
gesture  and  action,  that  you  may  not  offend  the  eye, 
any  more  than  the  ear,  in  your  preaching.     By  pro- 
per gesture  and  action,  I  mean  such  as  will  appear 
natural,  tit  easy  on  the  speaker,  please  the  hearer,  and 
suit  the  subject.     In  your  gesture  and  action,  you 
should    avoid  being   light,    affected,    or  theatrical. 
The  posture  of  the  body  should  not  change  every 
moment,  nor  should  it  be  long  in  the  same  position. 
The  features  of  the  face  should  not  be  any  way  dis- 
torted, the  mouth  writhed,  the  lips  bit  or  licked,  the 
shoulders  shrugged,   nor  the  belly  thrust  out.     All 
coughing,  spitting,   hemming,  and  the  like,  should 
be  avoided  as  much  as  possible.     The  head  should 
be  kept  in  it's  natural  and  erect  position.     It  should 
not  be  without  any  motion,  nor  always  moving  ;  but 
should  gently  turn,  sometimes  to  the  one  side,  some- 
times to  the  other,  and  then  return  to  it's  natural  pos- 
ture. It  should  be  on  the  same  side  with  the  action  of 
the  hands,  except  in  expressing  aversion.     The  eyes 
should  be  directed  always  to  some  of  the  audience, 
turning  softly  and  respectfully  from  one  side  to  ano- 
ther, and  looking  the  hearers  decently  in  the  face,  a* 
in  ordinary  conversation.      In  appeals   to  heaven, 
however,  or  in  speaking  of  heaven,  they  should  turn 
up  ;  and  in  speaking  of  earth  or  hell,  turn  down. 
The  hands  should  seldom  be  altogether  idle.     They 
should   correspond  in  their  motion  to  each  other  ;, 
and  if  only  one  be  used,  it  may  rather  be  the  right. 
Their  action  should  correspond  to  the  subject,  unit- 
ing or  separating,  raising  or  depressing,  as  that  re- 
quires.    They  should  never  be  lifted  above  the  eyes, 
and  seldom  higher  than  the  shoulders.     The  arrr.s 


184  LECTURE  XIX. 

should   not  extend  very  far  from  the  sides,  and  nei- 
ther elbow  should  rest  upon  the  pulpit. 

To  these  observations  on  gesture  and  action,  I 
must  add  one  or  two  cautions.  You  are  to  avoid 
overacting,  which  is  worse  than  no  action  at  all. 
You  are  to  avoid  an  uniform  warmth  and  energy 
throughout ;  it  is  improper  when  you  explain  and  in- 
form ;  you  must  reserve  it  till  you  begin  to  persuade 
and  to  address  the  passions.  Even  then  you  must 
spread  no  more  sail  than  your  helm  can  easily  com- 
mand, lest  you  should  not  be  able  to  rule  your  spi- 
lit  in  "  the  storm  and  tempest  of  passion."  You  must 
especially  take  care  to  warm  and  rise  gradually,  and 
never  go  faster  or  farther  than  you  find  your  hearers 
disposed  to  follow  you  ;  for  if  they  are  cold  -while 
you  appear  to  be  warm,  they  will  be  offended  and 
disgusted  ;  especially  if  you  have  warmed  yourself  by 
mere  vehemence  of  speech  or  action,  and  not  by 
moving  the  affections  by  rational  and  solid  argument. 

Upon  the  whole,  you  must  endeavour  in  the  deli- 
very of  your  sermons,  to  make  every  expression  of 
voice  and  gesture,  of  speech  and  action,  unite  in  two 
general  characters  essentially  requisite.  These  are 
solemnity  and  earnestness,  or  gravity  and  warmth, 
Solemnity  and  gravity  suit  the  nature  of  your  subject 
and  office,  and  earnestness  and  warmth  are  necessary 
to  impress  and  persuade  your  hearers.  An  eternity 
of  happiness  and  misery  which  is  depending,  renders 
both  of  them  highly  becoming.  In  the  pulpit  there- 
fore, be  always  solemn,  always  earnest ;  at  times  ve^ 
hement,  never  violent.  Even  in  ordinary  conversa- 
tion, you  must  guard  against  transgressing  the  rules 
of  gesture  and  pronunciation,  and  study  to  acquire  a 
correct,  graceful,  and  proper  manner.  Thus  your 
delivery  will  appear  natural,  without  any  thing  in  it 
constrained  or  forced.  Above  all  things,  you  must, 
as  we  have  more  than  once  observed  already,  be  at 
the  greatest  pains  to  cultivate  the  strongest  feelings  o. 


LECTURE   XIX.  185 

religion  ;  then,  from  the  abundance  of  the  heart* 
the  mouth  readily  spcaketh. 

Yet,  after  all,  the  difficulty  of  acquitting  ourselves 
well  in  this  department  of  our  office,  is  exceeding 
great ;  and  even  good  men  fail  in  it  so  often,  that 
we  must  cry  out,  Who  is  sufficient  for  these  things  ? 
The  excellencies  which  must  combine,  before  a  man 
can  succeed  or  arrive  at  eminence  in  this  art,  are  so 
many,  that  it  is  no  wonder  that  they  should  be  found 
in  one  man  so  seldom.  A  good  figure,  a  graceful 
manner,  a  fall  and  pleasant  voice,  an  expressive 
countenance,  a  pious  soul  and  a  feeling  heart,  must 
all  be  joined  to  much  sense,  much  learning,  much 
study  and  and  a  good  life,  to  make  the  sacred  orator 
thoroughly  furnished  for  this  part  of  his  office.  In 
this  part  of  our  office,  therefore,  we  should  be  more 
particularly  careful  to  implore  the  divine  assistance 
to  bless  our  best  endeavours,  from  the  deepest  con  ■ 
vietion  that  our  sufficiency  is  not  of  ourselves.  If  Pe- 
ricles, who  was  said  to  thunder  and  lighten  in  his? 
harangues,  never  ventured  to  speak  in  public  in 
Athens,  till  he  had  first  prayed  to  the  gods  to  assist 
him,  how  much  more  should  a  minister  of  the  gos5 
pel,  when  he  goes  forth  on  a  business  of  such  import- 
ance, implore  the  divine  aid  by  fervent  prayer. 

O  God,  in  whose  hands  are  the  hearts  of  all  men,  and 
who  turnest  them,  as  rivers  of  water,  whithersoever 
thou  pleaseth,  I  go  forth  on  this  day  in  thy  name  ; 
send,  O  send,  prosperity !  I  go  forth  on  the  errand 
of  thy  Son,  my  Master,  to  persuade  the  souls  for 
whom  he  died  to  be  reconciled  to  thee,  through  his 
blood,  and  be  saved :  O  send,  I  beseech  thee,  for  his 
sake,  send  good  speed  this  day  !  O  let  not  my  wan- 
dering sheep  be  lost,  let  not  my  prodigal  children  per- 
ish !  Let  not  the  blood  of  the  Son  of  God,  so  far  as 
it  concerns  them,  be  shed  to  no  purpose  !  O  send  tl*e 
spirit  of  thy  light  and  truth  to  guide  thy  servant,  who 
goes  forth  on  this  day  in  search  of  them  ;  send  the 

Z 


186  lecture  xvirr, 

spirit  of  thy  presence  to  enable  him  to  bring  them 
home  !    Thou  hast  made  the  mouth  and  the  tongue, 
and  from  thee  alone  is  the  power  of  persuasion ; 
oive,  therefore,  a  word  in  season,  that  sinners  may 
hear  thy  servant's  voice,  and  obey  it !  Then  shall  this 
be  a  clay  of  gladness  in  heaven  ;  and,  "  The  dead's 
u  alive,  the  lost  is  found,"  shall  be  the  song  of  ten 
thousand  angels.     Transporting  thought  !  it  makes 
thy  servant  go  in  his  way  rejoicing.    O  may  it  please 
the   most  high  to  send  the  spirit  he  hath  promised 
with  me,  and  own  the  weakest  and  most  unworthy 
of  his  servants  on  this  day,  so  as  to  make   him  the 
instrument  in  his  hand  to  save  souls.     Then  will  the 
excellency  of  the  power  appear  indeed  to  have  been 
of  God.     Yes  ;  the  power  and  the  glory  for  ever 
shall  be  thine,  O   Father  of  Mercies !  who  hast  no 
pleasure  in  the  death  of  sinners.     Take  pity,  there- 
fore, on  my  poor  perishing  flock,  and  save  them.     O 
make  bare  thine  arm,  and  let  them  feel  this  as  a  day 
of  thy  power  on  their  souls  !  Art  not  thou  he  that  did 
wonders  of  mercy  and  of  love  of  old  ?  Where  is  thy 
zeal  and  thy  strength,  the  sounding  of  thy  bowels,  and 
thy  mercies  ?  Are  they  restrained  ?  O  may  the  peo- 
ple to  whom  I  speak  on  this  day,  feel,  from  their  own 
experience,  that  thy  mercy  endureth  for  ever!  May 
the  Redeemer   ride  triumphantly  in  the   chariot  of 
the  gospel  on  this  day ;  may  the  gates  of  brass  be 
broken  before  him,  and  the  bars  of  iron  be  cut  a- 
sunder  ;  and  may  the  people  to  whom  I  speak  own 
that  he  hath  prevailed  !  May  this  be  the  day  of  ran- 
som to  their  souls,  and  may  they  with  glad  hosan- 
nahs  welcome  the  Son  of  David  !  0  thou  Holy  Spi- 
rit !  come  ;  come  with  thy  enlightening,  convincing, 
converting  and  sanctifying  power.     Impress  the  soute 
of  sinners  with  a  sense  of  their  guilt,  and  give  them 
a  clear  sight  of  their  danger.  Bind  the  stubborn  will  to 
the  obedience  of  the  gospel,  and  make  this  people  wil- 
ling in  the  day  of  thy  power.     O  thou  who  did^ 


LECTURE    XIX,  ltfi 

brood  on  the  face  of  the  deep,  and  bring  light  and 
order  out  of  darkness  and  confusion,  a  beautiful  cre- 
ation out  of  an  indigested  chaos,  work  with  the  same 
almighty  energy  on  the  hearts  of  the  people,  to  whom 
I  am  about  to  speak,  that  they  may  be  created  anew, 
after  the  image  of  him  who  made  them  !  Breathe, 
breathe  on  these  dry  bones,  that  they  may  live  ; 
quicken  these  dead  souls,  that  all  heaven  may  rejoice, 
and  the  first  born  sons  of  creation  unite  with  these 
new-born  babes,  in  singing  praises  to  him  who  sitteth 
on  the  throne,  and  to  the  Lamb,  for  ever  and  ever  i 

Yes,  my  brethren,  in  this  part  of  our  duty,  after  im- 
ploring the  divine  assistance,  we  should  conjure  up 
all  our  spirit,  summon  forth  all  the  energy  which  our 
souls  are  possessed  of,  and  study  to  make  our  man- 
ner, as  well  as  our  matter,  keep  alive  the  attention, 
and  impress  the  hearts  of  our  hearers.  We  should 
make  it  appear,  that  our  businesses  important,  and 
that  we  are  indeed  in  earnest.  Our  inward  concern 
should  break  forth  through  every  pore,  and  without 
any  thing  light,  theatrical,  or  extravagant,  give  life 
and  animation  to  every  tone  of  our  voice,  and  to 
every  feature  of  our  countenance.  Then  only  may 
we  hope  to  impress  others,  when  they  see  that  we 
are  deeply  impressed  ourselves.  6i  If  you  wish  me 
"  to  weep,  you  must  first  wTeep  yourself,"  is  an 
aphorism  as  true  as  it  is  old.  It  is  indeed  a  thing  al- 
together inexcusable  in  a  minister  of  the  gospel  to 
be  unaffected  and  cold,  when  he  is  preachi  :ig  the 
doctrines  of  salvation.  A  concern  for  the  souls  of 
men,  and  a  sense  of  his  accountableness  to  that  Great 
Being  in  whose  work  he  is  eno-aoecl,  ought,  if  he  has 
any  feeling  at  all,  to  inspire  him  with  such  awe  and 
solemnity,  and  zeal  and  earnestness  of  soul,  as  cannot 
fail  to  be  observed  by  his  hearers.  And  wherever 
these  are  discovered,  their  effects  arc  obvious.  The 
passion  runs,  by  secret  sympathy,  from  soul  to  soul  ; 


188  LECTURE  XIX. 

and  the  interested  audience  feel  all  the  emotion  of  the 
preacher. 

Of  how  much  importance  it  is  for  a  speaker  to 
feel  what  he  says,  will  plainly  appear  from  a  view  of 
the  different  suecess  of  Tertuiius  and  St.  Paul,  when 
they  both  pleaded  before  the  Roman  governor. — 
Tertuiius  must  have  been  eminent  in  his  profession, 
otherwise  he  had  not  been  chosen  by  the  high  priest 
and  elders  as  their  pleader,  upon  an  occasion  which 
they  deemed  of  such  importance,  that  they  them- 
selves took  a  long  journey  in  order  to  be  present  at 
the  trial.  Yet  this  famous  orator,  with  all  his  elo- 
quence, made  no  impression  upon  Felix  ;  whereas 
St.  Paul  moved  him,  alarmed  him,  and  made  him 
tremble.  Why  ?  The  one,  a  mere  hireling,  spoke 
what  he  did  not  feel,  and  substituted  artificial  instead 
of  natural  eloquence.  The  other  felt,  deeply  felt, 
all  he  said  ;  and  therefore  made  others  feel  also. 
He  spoke  the  words  of  truth,  the  earnest,  unaf- 
fected language  of  the  heart,  and  therefore  he  pre- 
vailed*. 

Notwithstanding  this  instructive  example,  it  is 
matter  of  deep  regret,  that  most  preachers  are  rather 
imitators  of  Tertuiius  than  of  the  apostle.  The  elo- 
quence at  which  they  generally  aim,  is  rather  laboured 
and  artificial,  than  natural  and  easy ;  and  the  very 
tone  of  voice  with  which  they  speak  is  too  often  af- 
fected ;  and  therefore  must  appear  sometimes  ridicu- 
lous, always  awkward  and  unnatural.  To  guard 
against  this  fault,  observe  your  tone  and  manner  on 
ordinary  occasions,  when  you  are  most  interested  and 
most  in  earnest.  The  same  is  that  which  you  ought 
to  have  in  the  pulpit.  If  you  are  in  earnest,  it  is 
what  nature  will  dictate  ;  and  that  will  always  be 
the  most  striking,  as  well  as  the  most  pleasing. 

*  Atterbury's  Sermons. 


LECTURE   XIX.  189 

To  feel  and  be  in  earnest  is  the  first  requisite  in 
the  art  of  speaking,  How  eloquent  is  the  most  illi- 
terate when  he  pleads  his  own  cause,  and  tells  his 
own  grievances  !  To  him,  therefore,  who  feels  and 
is  in  earnest,  no  artifice  or  imitation  is  necessary. 
Nature  will  spontaneously  dictate  what  neither  art 
nor  imitation  can  attain.  But  if  imitate  you  must, 
it  will  be  of  service,  in  acquiring  this,  and  every  other 
excellency,  to  copy  the  best  examples.  Consider 
then  how  earnestly  Christ  spoke,  when  it  was  said 
of  him  He  is  beside  himself.  Consider  how  earnestly 
the  apostle  spoke,  when  mockers  alledged  they  were 
full  of  nexv  wine.  Consider  how  Paul  spoke  before 
Agrippa,  Felix,  and  the  court  of  Areopagus.  If  you 
will  imitate,  let  these  be  your  models  ;  they  and  na- 
ture are  the  same.  But  he  who  is  at  leisure  to  attend 
to  an  artificial  tone  of  voice,  or  an  artificial  stile  of 
language,  discovers  his  indifference  to  his  subject,  and 
would  be  considered  as  acting  a  strange  part  in  any 
other  business  of  importance,  although  custom  has 
made  it  so  common  in  preaching,  as  to  make  us, 
in  some  measure,  forget  the  impropriety.  Take  the  fol- 
lowing instance  to  illustrate  our  observation.  u  My 
"  neighbour  had  a  son  whom  he  tenderly  loved,  and 
"  of  whom  he  had  conceived  the  fondest  hopes.  But, 
"  in  the  dangerous  season  of  youth,  sinners  entice 
"  him,  pleasure  allures  him,  and  his  father's  counsels 
"  and  reproofs  offend  him.  Impatient  of  restraint 
"  he  leaves  his  father's  house,  with  a  resolution  to  rc- 
:i  turn  no  more.  In  this  distressful  moment  I  found 
"  the  fond  parent,  under  a  solitary  tree,  sorrowful 
"  and  disconsolate  above  measure,  lie  tells  me  the 
u  cause  of  his  grief,  and  I  offer  my  endeavours  to 
"  bring  back  his  son.  lie  bids  me  go,  and  God  be 
<%  with  me.  But,  in  order  to  accomplish  the  desire  of 
"  his  heart,  what  further  directions  do  you  think  he 
u  gave  me  ?  Did  he  say,  "  Have  a  care  that  you 
u  arrange  your  arguments  properly,  and  that  you 


100  LECTURE    XIX. 

"  speak  to  my  son  in  mood  and  figure  ;  for  I  taught 
*c  him  logic?  Have  a  care  also,  that  you  put  your 
"  words  in  the  best  order,  and  that  you  turn  your 
€l  periods  artificially  and  nicely  ;  for  I  taught  my 
"  boy  rhetoric  ?  And  take  care,  especially,  that  you 
t6  pronounce  aright,  and  commit  no  slip  in  grammar, 
u  lest  you  offend  his  ear ;  for  I  have  made  him  a 
"  grammarian  ?  No:  instead  of  speaking  in  this  un- 
a  natural  manner,  he  only  cries,  Go,  go  and  bring 
a  back  my  child  ;  set  your  heart  and  soul,  I  beseech 
a  you,  on  this  important  business,  as  you  wish  to 
"  please  me,"  Even  so,  my  brethren,  let  us  preach 
the  gospel,  and  execute  the  commission  upon  which 
our  Master  sends  us. 

Thus,  my  brethren,  let  us  be  in  earnest,  and  our 
hearers  cannot  be  unconcerned.  Let  us  never  con- 
sider a  sermon  as  a  task,  and  they  will  never  consi- 
der it  as  a  burden.  Let  us  speak  with  zeal,  and  they 
will  listen  with  attention.  And,  surely,  if  any  thing 
in  the  world  deserves  earnestness  and  zeal,  it  is  this. 
What !  are  heaven  and  hell  just  at  hand,  and  are  they 
such  glorious  and  dreadful  realities  as  they  are  repre- 
sented in  the  gospel  ?  Are  sinners  despising  the  one, 
and  sleeping  on  the  brink  of  the  other  ?  And  are  we 
sent  by  God  to  awaken  them,  and,  as  it  were,  to  com- 
pel them  to  flee  from  wrath,  and  be  saved  ?  And 
shall  not  so  important  a  charge  engross  all  our  atten- 
tion? Whyr  do  we  not  hasten,  why  do  we  not  flee, 
to  pluck  sinners  as  brands  from  the  everlasting 
burnings  ?  Why  do  we  not  pray  more  fervently  ; 
why  d©  we  not  preach  more  zealously  ;  why  do 
we  not  lay  out  our  whole  life,  and  soul,  and 
strength,  in  this  great  work  in  which  we  are  engag- 
ed ?  What  !  is  the  salvation  of  immortal  souls,  for 
whom  Christ  died,  worthy  of  no  greater  pains  ?  Is 
the  honour  and  interest  of  our  glorious  Master  worthy 
of  no  greater  exertion  ?  Shall  the  men  of  the  world 
be  more  industrious  in  pursuit  of  gains  and  pleasures, 
than  we  in  seeking  the  glory  of  Christ,  and  the  sal- 


LECTURE    XIX.  191 

vation  of  the  souls  of  our  people  ?  God  forbid !  We 
arc  on  matters  of  life  and  death,  of  eternal  life  and 
eternal  death.  We  pray,  we  preach,  we  labour  for 
eternity.  Surely  then  it  becomes  us  to  do  this  with 
all  our  might,  and  not  to  trifle  with  immortal  souls, 
which  arejust  on  the  confines  of  death,  and  on  the 
threshold  of  an  eternal  world. 

It  is  the  observation  of  an  author  who  has  never 
been  suspected  of  enthusiasm,  that  "the  damnation 
*'  of  one  man  is  an  infinitely  greater  evil  in  the  uni- 
"  vtrse,  than  the  subversion  of  a  thousand  millions 
"  of  kingdoms*."  On  the  other  hand,  "the  eternal 
"  salvation  of  one  soul  is  of  greater  importance,  and 
"  big  with  greater  events,  than  the  temporal  salva- 
46  tion  of  an  whole  kingdom,  though  it  were  for  the 
"  space  of  ten  thousand  ages ;  because,  there  will 
u  come  up  a  point,  an  instant  in  eternity,  when  that 
"  one  soul  shall  have  existed  as  long  as  all  the  in- 
•*  dividuals  of  a  whole  kingdom,  ranged  in  close 
"  succession,  will  on  the  whole  have  existed  in  the 
"  space  often  thousand  agesf. 

Whoever  attends  to  such  considerations  as  these, 
will  hardly  need  to  be  told,  that  a  preacher's  sole  aim 
and  end  should  be  to  glorify  God  by  saving  souls  ; 
and  that  he  ought  to  pursue  this  end  with  all  possible 
zeal  and  earnestness  of  spirit.  "  He  preached  with 
"  such  spirit  and  devotion  (said  the  emperor  Charles 
:4  V.  of  Ochius,  one  of  the  first  reformers),  as  might 
u  almost  serve  to  make  the  very  stones  weep."  With 
the  same  spirit  should  all  of  us  preach,  my  brethren, 
if  we  attended  to  the  weight  of  our  calling.  Our  er- 
rand is  of  infinite  importance.  The  issue  of  it,  I 
say  again,  is  eternal  happiness  or  everlasting  mise- 
ry. Jt  therefore  becomes  us  to  use  every  effort, 
in  order  to  make  souls  feel  their  dangerous  state,  and 

*  Hums,  Three  Essays  on  Suicide,  immortality  of  the.  Soul? 
t  Doddridge. 


192  LECTURE  XIX. 

rouse  them  to  a  solicitude  about  their  salvation.  For 
this  purpose,  let  us  awaken  all  our  spirit  in  our  ser- 
mons. Let  us  try  every  solemn  and  forcible  form  of 
address  to  the  hearts  and  consciences  of  men.  Let  us 
use  every  endeavour  to  kindle  their  souls  to  a  zealous 
concern  for  religion,  and  to  the  practice  of  true  god- 
liness. "  Never  had  orators  a  finer  opportunity  of 
"  being  heard  with  attention.  Never  were  subjects 
"  more  susceptible  of  a  grave,  majestic,  and  pathetic 
"  eloquence,  than  those  themes  which  we  treat  of. 
"  We  have  the  most  powerful  motives  to  work 
"  with,  and  the  most  powerful  passions  to  work  up 
f;  on.  We  have  an  eternity  of  glory  to  promise, 
"  and  an  eternity  of  misery  to  threaten.  We  are  sent 
"  by  a  master,  in  whose  presence  all  the  kings  in  the 
"  universe  are  but  as  the  small  drop  in  the  bucket, 
u  or  the  dust  in  the  balance*."  We  may  address  all 
the  feelings,  and  all  the  passions  of  mankind.  By  the 
terrors  of  the  Lord  we  may  persuade  them  ;  by  their 
own  interest  allure  them.  We  may  set  the  blessed 
God  before  them  in  all  the  splendours  of  his  majesty, 
and  ask,  Who  would  not  fear  and  glorify  so  great  a 
king  :  We  may  lead  them  to  Mount  Sinai,  and  pro- 
claim the  law  of  God  in  their  hearing,  amid  thun- 
dering and  lightnings,  blackness  and  darkness,  tem- 
pest and  the  sound  of  trumpet,  and  ask,  who  would 
not  obey  it?  We  may  lead  them  to  Calvary,  and  show 
them  the  son  of  God,  bleeding  and  expiring  on  the 
cross,  the  sacrifice  of  a  guilty  world,  and  ask  Who 
would  not  love  him  ?  We  may  display  before  their 
eyes  the  triumph  of  his  death,  resurrection,  and 
ascension,  with  all  the  powers  of  earth  and  hell  sub 
dued.  We  may  bid  them  mount  along  with  us  to 
the  regions  of  the  blessed,  and  there  show  them  the 
pure  joys  and  the  ineffable  glories  of  that  happy  place, 
We  may  anticipate  the  solemnities  of  the  last  day, 

#  Sauria. 


LECTURE  XIX.  193 

sound  the  archangel's  trumpet  in  their  ears,  show 
them  the  dead  rising  out  of  their  graves,  and  the 
living  in  an  instant  changed.  We  may  shew  them 
the  Son  of  Man  coming  in  the  clouds  of  heaven,  in 
the  glory  of  his  Father,  and  all  his  holy  angels  ;  the 
elements  melting,  and  heaven  and  earth  on  fire.  We 
may  take  them  to  the  bottomless  abyss,  and  show 
them  the  horrible  mansions  of  the  damned  ;  the 
worm  that  never  dieth,  and  the  fire  that  shall  never 
be  quenched.  Is  it  possible  to  conceive  an  orator  in 
circumstances  more  advantageous,  especially  when 
he  is  encouraged  to  hope  for  the  aid  of  the  divine  Spi- 
rit to  bless  and  to  give  effect  to  his  endeavours.  Pos- 
sessed, therefore,  of  such  glorious  advantages/  let 
us  duly  improve  them.  Let  us  exert  every  faculty, 
let  us  wield  every  engine.  Let  us  be  faithful  and 
zealous,  and  active,  and  bold,  that,  through  the  mer- 
cy of  God  in  Christ,  we  may  save  our  own  souls,  and 
those  that  hear  us> 


A  a 


LECTURE  XX. 

That  a  Minister  of  the  Gospel  should  take  pains  i& 
repeat,  and  not  read,  his  Sermons. 

THE  practice  of  reading  sermons,  which  is  not  of 
a  long  standing  in  this  country,  and  which  is  not  yet 
tolerated  in  any  other,  is  extremely  hurtful  to  the 
interests  of  religion  ;  for  no  sermon  can  have  the 
same  energy  or  effect  when  read,  as  it  has  when 
spoken  or  repeated.  It  may  be  more  correct  in  point 
of  composition  ;  but  this^  advantage  is  obtained  at 
the  expence  of  animation,  and  therefore  at  the  ex- 
pence  of  usefulness.  For  the  plainest  speaker,  with 
animation,  affects  us  more  than  the  greatest  orator 
could  do  by  reading,  which  hardly  admits  of  any 
animation.  If  Cicero  and  Demosthenes  had  only 
read  their  harangues,  they  had  never  produced  those 
wonderful  effects,  which  we  read  of,  on  the  minds 
of  their  hearers,  who  would  have,  in  that  case, 
heard  them,  as  we  read  them,  with  some  admira 
tion,  but  no  emotion.  IT  St.  Paul  had  only  read  a 
discourse  on  righteousness,  temperance,  and  ajudg 
ment  to  come,  Felix,  we  may  presume,  had  never 
trembled.  Nay,  if  re  who  spake  as  never  man  did, 
had  read  his  sacred  discourses,  instead  of  closing 
the  hook  and  preaching,  it  is  probable  (with  rever- 
ence be  it  said)  that  this  eulogy  had  not  been  be 
stowed,  and  that  perfection  in  eloquence  had  made 
no  part  of  the  sublime  character  of  cur  Master. 
If,  therefore,  reading,  instead  of  repeating,  could 
have  thus  deprived  the  discourses  of  a  Cicero,  De- 
mosthenes, St.  Paul,  or  even  of  the  son  of  god  him- 
self, of  so  much  of  their  effect  and  excellence,  is  its 


"LECTURE   XX.  1§5 

not  certain,  that  it  must  be  of  the  utmost  prejudice 
to  our  very  interior  sermons  ? 

It  is  universally  allowed,  that  a  great  part  of  do 
■quence  consists  in  action.  When  the  ancient  orator 
was  asked  what  was  the  first  requisite  in  his  art,  he 
answered,  Action.  And  when  asked  what  was  the. 
second  and  third,  he  still  answered,  Action,  action 
If  action  then  be  the  essence  of  eloquence,  the  man 
who  only  reads  his  discourses,  however  excellent, 
can  hardly  pass  for  eloquent,  or  lay  claim  to  the  ap- 
pellation of  orator,  since  action  and  reading  are  al- 
most incompatible  terms. 

There  is  indeed  a  way  of  reading  with  a  propriety 
and  ease,  which  may  in  some  degree  resemble  speak- 
ing. But  the  resemblance  at  best  is  very  faint  and 
distant.  Our  very  tone  of  voice,  when  we  speak,  is 
different  from  what  it  is  when  we  read.  The  first 
is  the  natural  sound  of  our  organs  of  speech  ;  the 
last  was  acquired  in  learning  to  read,  and  still  savours 
of  that  coldness  and  indifference  with  which  we 
then  expressed  what  we  did  not  understand.  When 
we  speak,  our  words  seem  to  be  the  immediate 
dictates  of  the  heart,  and  will  more  easily  find  their 
way  to  the  hearts  of  others.  They  will  also  be 
uttered  with  more  spirit  and  freedom,  than  if  our  eyes 
were  fixed  on  a  paper,  which  would  further  deprive 
our  words  of  those  significant  looks  with  which  they 
might  be  accompanied  ;  the  powerful  language  of  the 
eyes,  so  full  of  expression,  force,  and  persuasion. 
Reading,  too,  hinders  us  from  observing  the  counte- 
nances of  our  hearers,  which  would  be  no  less  ani- 
mating to  us  than  ours  to  them.  It  hinders  us  from 
observing,  whether  they  attend  to  us,  whether  they 
understand  us,  or  whether  they  are  moved  ;  and, 
consequently,  from  accommodating  ourselves  always 
to  their  circumstances.  In  short,  it  is  altogether  in- 
compatible with  true  oratory  and  action,  and  so  much 
alters  the  nature  of  a  sermon  from  what  it  would  be. 


190  LECTURE  XX. 

if  repeated,  that  it  can  never  have  the  same  effect  upon 
an  audience. 

Hence,  the  bar,  the  senate,  and  popular  assem- 
blies, on  every  other  occasion,  disallow  so  much  of 
reading,  that  in  none  of  them  has  it  ever  yet  been 
practised  or  indulged  :  so  that  it's  being  introduced 
into  the  pulpit  only,  and  continued  there,  will  be 
found,  I  fear,  to  reflect  little  honour  on  our  prede- 
cessors or  ourselves.  It  seems  to  argue  a  want  of 
care,  earnestness  and  sincerity  ;  for  who,  in  advising 
a  friend  very  earnestly,  would  think  of  writing  his 
advice,  or  taking  with  him  notes,  out  of  which  he 
should  read  his  counsel. 

Upon  the  whole,  my  brethren,  it  is  beyond  a 
doubt  that  it  would  contribute  much  to  the  useful- 
ness of  our  sermons,  if  they  were  repeated,  instead 
of  being  read.  The  wonderful  success  of  the  first 
preachers  of  Christianity,  and  of  the  first  reformers 
in  latter  times,  has  been  often  imputed  to  the  novelty 
of  their  doctrines.  But  I  am  apt  to  think,  that  much 
of  it  may  be  also  ascribed  to  the  zeal,  animation,  and 
action,  of  the  preachers  ;  as  we  have  known  a  few 
sacred  orators  in  our  own  days,  whose  sermons,  thus 
delivered,  were  attended  with  a  degree  of  success  al- 
most equally  astonishing.  The  writings  of  a  White- 
field  and  Wesley  show,  that  their  strength  lay  in 
this  ;  and  that  if  they  had  been  readers,  they  must 
have  been  as  weak  as  other  men. 

Indeed,  the  practice  of  reading  has  in  it  something 
that  looks  so  like  indolence  and  indifference,  that  it 
is,  in  appearance,  at  least,  ill  suited  to  that  boldness 
and  zeal  which  men  should  expect  in  a  messenger 
come  from  God.  A  man  who  speaks  in  the  name 
of  Christ,  as  his  ambassador  and  representative  in 
the  world,  might  be  expected  to  speak  with  such  a 
dignity  and  freedom,  as  would  manifest  his  own  in- 
ward concern,  as  well  as  the  awful  and  infinite 
consequences  of  his  message.     It  might  be  expected, 


LECTURE  XX.  197 

that  he  should  speak  from  the  fulness  of  his  heart ; 
and  that,  with  all  possible  earnestness  of  spirit,  he 
would  rouse  and  excite  his  people  to  prepare  for 
death,  judgment,  and  eternity,  and  to  look,  without 
delay,  for  the  glorious  appearing  of  the  Son  of  God. 
But  if,  instead  of  this,  he  bows  motionless  over  a 
paper,  and  only,  through  that  medium,  speaks  to 
his  hearers,  we  are  tempted  to  suspect,  if  not  a  want 
of  capacity,  at  least  a  want  of  concern  ;  for  every 
considerate  person  will  judge  according  to  the  ap- 
pearance before  his  eyes,  and  not  according  to  the 
prevalency  of  custom  ;  and  will,  therefore,  reckon 
this  as  an  instance  of  indolence  and  awkwardness 
which  has  no  parallel  in  the  affairs  of  men.  The 
minds  of  the  hearers,  too,  from  a  principle  of  assi- 
milation, are  apt,  on  such  occasions,  to  be  seized 
with  a  languor  of  spirits,  semewhat  analogous  to  the 
minister's  indolence  ;  and  though  we  must,  in  cha- 
rity, believe,  that  the  spirits  of  both  are  more  se- 
riously engaged  than  their  outward  frame  would  in- 
dicate, yet  the  practice  has  naturally  a  manifest  ten- 
dency to  introduce  a  cold  and  lifeless  face  on  the 
awful  concerns  of  our  immortal  part  ;  and  ought, 
therefore,  as  much  as  lieth  in  us,  to  be  always  a- 
voided. 

The  preacher  who,  cold  and  inanimate  as  a  statue, 
slavishly  reads  his  sermons,  however  well  penned, 
will  always  find  those  sermons  attended  with  very 
moderate  success.  He  may  be  compared  to  those 
worms  which  seem  to  glow  and  give  some  light  in 
the  dark,  but  have  no  warmth.  lie  may  convey 
some  knowledge  to  the  understanding,  but  no  emo- 
tion at  all  to  the  heart.  "  When  such  a  man  would 
k'  reprove  sinners,  he  only  reads  to  them  a  chiding. 
u  When  he  would  awaken  them  from  their  lethargy, 
"  and  pluck  them  as  brands  out  of  the  burning,  he 
M  reads  to  them  some  words  of  pity,  or  perhaps  a  use 
"  of  terror ;  anil  if  he  would  lament  over  their  unpen- 


1 98  LECTURE  XX, 

M  itence  and  approaching  ruin,  he  can  do  no  more 
"  than  read  to  them  a  chapter  of  lamentation.  A 
u  paper,  with  the  most  pathetic  lines  written  upon  it, 
•"  has  neither  fear,  nor  hope,  nor  compassion,  nor 
""  zeal.  It  is  conscious  of  no  design,  nor  has  any  so- 
"  licitude  about  the  success ;  and  a  mere  reader,  who 
"  coldly  tells  his  people  what  his  paper  says,  appears 
"  to  be  as  void  of  all  these  necessary  qualifications 
"  as  his  paper  is.  Let  us  see  if  such  conduct  would 
"  not  appear  to  be  the  strangest  indifference  in  mat- 
44  ters  of  less  moment.  The  steward  of  a  great 
i(  lord  was  much  displeased  with  the  servants 
4i  under  him,  for  some  instance  of  gross  mis- 
4i  conduct.  The  occasion  of  his  displeasure  was 
46  great  and  just ;  but  he  had  not  the  spirit  of  reproof. 
"  He  complained  to  his  lord  ;  but  his  lord  desired  to 
*'  be  excused  from  interfering  with  the  province  of 
"  his  steward,  and  told  him,  that  if  the  servants  un- 
"  der  him  were  culpable,  he  must  sharply  reprove 
"  them.  Alas!  said  he,  I  cannot  chide;  however, 
c-  to  show  my  resentment,  if  you  will  write  down  a 
*'  chiding,  I  will  go  immediately  and  read  it  to  them. 
*'  The  steward  read,  and  the  servants  smiled*." 

You  may,  therefore,  hold  it  as  a  certain  truth, 
my  brethren,  that  the  more  and  the  oftener  you  re- 
peat, if  you  are  not  able  to  do  it  entirely  and  always, 
you  will  he  not  only  the  more  agreeable,  but  the 
more  useful  and  persuasive  preachers.  Your  memo- 
ry, too,  more  than  any  faculty,  will  improve  by  ex- 
ercise ;  insomuch  that  what  was  difficult  at  first  will 
soon  be  easy.  Till  that  is  the  case,  you  can  take 
short  notes  of  the  method,  or  principal  heads  and  lead- 
ing thoughts,  which  will  readily  suggest  the  matter 
you  had  premeditated  and  prepared  under  them,  and 
in  a  great  measure  enable  you  to  preserve  the  freedom 
,and  ease  of  one  who  speaks.     And  when  you  are 

*  See  Watts'*  Misceli. 


LECTURE    XX,  199 

thus  sure  of  your  matter,  you  will  never  be  at  a  loss 
for  plain  and  proper  words  to  express  it,  especially  if 
you  are  much  interested,  and  indeed  in  earnest.  If 
you  are  not,  no  preparation  whatever  will  make  you 
eloquent.  After  you  shall  have  acquired  a  facility  of 
expression,  and  some  boldness  and  presence  of  mind 
by  practice,  you  will  perhaps  speak  with  more  free- 
dom and  ease  in  this  manner,  than  if  you  had  com- 
mitted every  word  to  paper  and  to  memory  before- 
hand. For  in  the  freedom  and  warmth  of  preachings 
a  thousand  things  will  spontaneously  occur,  which? 
you  could  never  have  thought  of  in  the  closet,  and 
which  will  have  more  nature,  eloquence,  and  force, 
than  any  thing  previously  prepared.  By  this,  how- 
ever, 1  would  not  be  understood  as  recommending  to 
any  one  to  trust  to  such  occurrences.  It  is  best  to 
prepare  as  if  you  did  not  expect  them ;  at  least,  till 
you  have  acquired  the  habit  of  expressing  your 
thoughts  with  ease,  and  even  with  correctness. 

HabiU  habit  is  every  thing.  Choose  that  course 
of  life  which  is  best,  said  the  philosopher,  and  cus. 
torn  will  soon  make  it  easy,  and  even  pleasant 
Therefore  young  preachers,  especially,  should  accus- 
tom themselves,  from  the  first,  to  repeat  their  ser- 
mons ;  a  practice  to  which  the}7  would  soon  be  recon- 
ciled, and  find  by  no  means  difficult.  I  know,  1 
feel,  that  when  a  different  practice  has  been,  in  any 
measure,  indulged,  it  is  not  easily  corrected.  Correct- 
ed, however,  by  perseverance  and  pains,  it  may  be  ; 
and  the  pleasure  and  advantages  redounding  from 
the  effort,  will,  as  in  the  case  of  repentance,  more 
than  compensate  for  the  labour.  Of  labour,  indeed 
we  should  make  no  account  in  the  exercise  of  our 
sacred  calling.  Our  greatest  honour  is  to  be  spent  in 
such  noble  service.  We  have  a  Master  who  will  re- 
ward us  with  an  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of 
glory,  if  we  are  faithful  and  diligent;  or  punish  us 
rveriastingly,  if  we  are.  inactive  and  careless     And 


200  LECTURE    XX. 

let  us  remember,  that  even  in  the  lifeless  performance 
of  the  duties  belonging  to  a  character  so  public  and 
important  as  ours,  and  a  mere  negative  virtue,  may 
be  as  hurtful  to  the  great  interests  of  mankind,  as 
the  positive  crimes  of  other  men.  The  stagnant  pool 
may  be  as  noxious  as  the  bursting  torrent.  None  of 
us,  therefore,  can  be  certain  but  negligence  or  indif- 
ference in  us  may  be  followed  by  as  severe  punish- 
ments, as  the  crimes  of  others,  in  this  or  in  another 
world.  This  will  appear  highly  probable,  if  we  con- 
sider the  remote  consequence  of  our  indolence,  to 
give  it  no  worse  a  name.  For  if  we  allow  the  im- 
pressions of  God  and  religion  to  wear  out  of  the  minds 
of  our  people,  by  out1  indolence  in  duty,  and  our 
careless  manner  of  handling  the  word  of  God,  not 
only  does  the  present  generation  pass  unprepared  to 
eternity,  but  several  others  may  pass  after  them,  be- 
fore these  impressions  can  be  fixed  in  the  minds  of 
their  successors.  This  thought  should  powerfully 
engage  us  to  be  at  all  possible  pains  in  preparing  for  the 
pulpit.  And,  to  give  this  preparation  it's  full  effect, 
we  must  never  forget  that  we  ought  to  spend  a  great 
part  of  our  time  in  secret  and  fervent  prayer,  for 
obtaining  the  direction,  aid,  and  blessing  of  God  upon 
our  labours  ;  for  obtaining  much  of  the  presence  of  his 
Holy  Spirit,  and  a  lively  sense  of  his  grace,  upon  our 
souls.  When  the  impressions  of  divine  things'  are  thus 
deep  and  strong,  and  growing  upon  our  minds,  we 
shall  clearly  perceive  the  necessity  of  entering  into  the 
spirit  of  our  ministry,  and  not  satisfy  ourselves  with 
reading  a  cold  formal  exercise  set  to  the  measure  of 
half  an  hour.  It  were  a  miracle  indeed,  if  a  reader 
could  inform,  move  and  persuade  his  hearers,  by 
means  so  unlikely,  and  in  a  period  of  time  so  circum- 
scribed. Prepare  and  deliver  as  you  ought,  and  so 
as  to  engage,  interest,  and  keep  alive  the  attention  of 
the  audience  ;  and  then  as  you  may  learn  from  those 
who  attend  the  theatre,  a  longer  time  will  appear  to  be 
short,  and  nowise  tedious. 


LECTURE   XX.  201 

When  I  suggest  that  sermons,  when  they  are  in 
other  respeets  what  they  ought,  might  be  somewhat 
longer  too,  I  am  sensible  that  the  torrent  of  the  fa- 
shion at  present  is  against  me,  and  that  it  would  be 
a  vain  attempt  to  stem  it's  tide.     But  I  know  also 
that  in    proportion  as  this  fashion  of  reading   and 
shortening  sermons  has  gained  ground,  the  interests 
of  religion  have  declined.     Such  therefore,  as  wish 
to  be  useful  to  souls,  will  walk  in  the  good  old  way, 
and  study  to  approve  themselves  to  God  and  to  con- 
science.    They  will  at  the  same  time  study  to  avoid 
prolixity,   concentre  their  ideas,    and  speak    to  the 
purpose.     Without  this  they  would  only  disgust  by 
speaking  long.     For  many  speak  long  only  because 
they  want  the  art  of  arranging  their  ideas  clearly, 
and  expressing  them  succinctly.    The  shorter  the  ha- 
rangues of  such,  they  are  so  much  the  better.     But 
when  ministers  speak,    as    they  ought,    in  a  clear, 
strong  and  connected  manner,    I   would  not   have 
them  cut  short  at  a  precise  minute,  but  do  justice  to 
the  subject,  and  to  souls,  if  a  few  more  sands  should 
run.     To  induce  them  to  this,  and  to  engage  them 
to  speak  with  a  becoming    energy  and   animation, 
they  ought  to  remember,  that  they  speak  in  the  pre- 
sence of  God  and  angels,  as  well  as  of  men.     Those 
glorious,    though  invisible  beings,    who  minister  to 
the  heirs  of  salvation,  are  certainly  present  when  the 
words  of  that  salvation  are  preached.     It  was  proba- 
bly with  a  view  of  inculcating  this  truth  on  the 
minds  of  the  worshippers,  and  of  inspiring  them  with 
reverence  and  awe  in  places  of  worship,  that  the  Jew- 
ish tabernacle  and  the  Jewish  temple  were  in  a  man- 
ner lined  with  the  figures  of  cherubs.     Accordingly, 
we  find  in  the  New  Testament,  angels  putting  men 
in  mind  of  sacred  truths,  which,  on  former  occasi- 
ons, they  heard  delivered  to  them*. 


*  Coir.r-         .  ,     .         v.  6,  7,  with  Matth.  xyi'i.  23. 

Bb 


202  LECTURE  XX. 

"  I  have  been  told  by  a  certain  person,"  says  Chry- 
sostom,*  "  and  I  well  believe  it,  that  he  had  seen  a 
ft  glorious  vision  of  an  innumerable  company  of  an 
H  gels  leaning  forward  at  the  altar,  and  listening,  as 
"  soldiers,  around  their  general."  What  an  enliven- 
ing consideration  must  this  be  to  the  christian  preach- 
er !  Thousands  of  the  host  of  heaven  surround  him  ; 
and,  while  he  improves  one  order  of  beings,  he  re- 
gales another  ;  while  he  instructs  men,  he  gives  joy 
to  angels.  Is  it  possible  that  such  a  man  can  act  his 
part  in  the  pulpit  with  indifference  or  coldness,  or 
confine  himself  to  the  reading  of  a  paper ;  1  had  al- 
most said  to  the  repetition  of  any  words  previously 
conned  ?  Is  jt  possible  that,  in  performing  the  func- 
tions of  his  office,  his  thoughts  should  not  carry  him 
heavenwards,  and  as  it  were,  transport  him  to  the 
regions  of  glory  ? 

I  conclude  this  subject,  my  brethren,  with  observ- 
ing again,  that  the  best  rule  for  acquitting  ourselves 
properly  in  our  public  appearances  is,  by  proper  me- 
ditation and  study,  to  make  ourselves  fully  masters 
of  our  subject,  and  then  to  have  always  our  hearts 
deeply  impressed  with  a  sense  of  the  importance  of 
that  service  in  which  we  are  engaged.  This  sense, 
indeed,  we  are  apt  to  lose,  when,  by  long  use,  our 
office  is  become  familiar  to  us.  It  is  proper,  therefore, 
to  refresh  our  minds  frequently  with  the  view  which 
we  had  of  our  ministry,  when  we  first  entered  upon 
that  sacred  office.  How  solemn,  how  awful  a  thing- 
did  it  then  appear,  to  enter  upon  the  most  august  of- 
fice on  earth,  to  stand  in  the  room  of  Christ,  and  to 
be  the  messengers  of  his  love  to  those  souls  for  whom 
he  died !  But  familiarity  may  have  weakened  this 
sense,  and  long  use  may  have  wore  it  off  in  a  great 
degree.  So  when  the  high  priest  and  Levites  first 
saw  the  tabernacle  which  Moses  had  constructed. 


*  De  Sacerdotio. 


LECTURE  XX.  203 

the  cloud  which  covered  it,  and  the  manifestation  of 
the  divine  presence  which  surrounded  it,  they  must 
have  approached  it  with  deep  reverence  and  holy  fear. 
But,  in  process  of  time,  they  became  bolder,  and  at 
length  profaned  it,  by  offering  strange  fire.  We  run 
a  similar  risk  of  profaning  the  mysteries  of  our  most 
holy  religion,  unless  we  frequently  recollect  the  so- 
lemnity of  our  work,  and  the  importance  of  our 
calling.  Our  holy  office,  like  the  ark  of  God  of  old, 
will  either  save  or  destroy,  as  we  do  or  do  not  hold 
it  in  awe  and  reverence*. 

*  Compare  1  Sara.  vi.  with  2  Sam.  vi« 


LECTURE  XXI. 

That  a  minister  of  the  gospel  should  be  solicitous  about 
the  Success  ofJm  Labours. 

IT  is  the  observation  of  a  very  pious  divine,  that  he 
never  knew  any  considerable  success  attending  the 
brightest  talents,  or  the  most  shining  preachers,  if 
those  preachers  had  not  a  solicitous  concern  about 
the  success  of  their  ministrations.  Should  they  be 
honoured  even  so  far  as  to  be  made  the  means  of 
planting  the  grace  of  God  in  the  souls  of  men,  yet 
still  that  grace  is  but  a  tender  plant  in  a  foreign  and 
unfriendly  soil,  which  it  requires  much  care,  and 
pains,  and  skill,  to  cherish.  A  faithful  minister, 
will,  therefore,  have  a  due  regard  to  every  part  of 
his  work.  Knowing  the  importance  of  preaching, 
he  will  make  all  the  previous  preparation  in  his 
power.  He  will  not  only  store  his  memory,  but 
impress  his  heart,  with  the  truths  of  the  gospel.  He 
will  particularly  study  to  be  fervent  in  spirit,  when 
in  public  he  is  serving  the  Lord.  And,  after  con- 
cluding the  service  of  the  temple,  after  lifting  holy 
hands,  and  spreading  them  in  benediction  and 
prayer  over  his  people,  he  will  not  think  that  his 
work  is  ended.  He  only  changes  the  place  of  car- 
rying it  on,  retiring  from  the  temple  to  the  closet, 
and  there  committing  the  success  of  his  labours  to 
his  God.  He  knows,  that  though  he  plant  with 
care,  and  water  with  tears,  that  it  is  God  alone  who 
can  give  the  increase.  Therefore,  in  the  inmost  re- 
cesses of  devotion,  his  whole  soul  will  be  poured 
out  before  him,  that  lie  may  obtain  his  blessing. 
Yes,  my  brethren,  if  we  would  be  accounted  faith- 


LECTURE   XXI.  20.3 

ful  ministers  of  Jesus,  we  must  water  the  seed  sown* 
not  only  with  public,  but  also  with  secret  prayer. 
We  must  plead  with  God  importunately,  that  he 
would  not  suffer  us  to  labour  in  vain,  and  to  spend 
our  strength  for  naught.  Without  this  we  might 
be  likened  to  that  foolish  bird,  the  ostrich,  which  is 
said  to  lay  her  eggs  in  the  sand,  regardless  of  what 
may  befal  them.  But  to  her,  as  it  is  said  in  the 
book  of  Job,  God  hath  not  given  understanding. 
And  we,  my  brethren,  are  equally  void  of  under- 
standing  and  fidelity,  if  we  do  not  look,  with  a 
watchful  eye  and  anxious  heart,  after  the  success  of 
our  ministrations.  What  should  we  think  of  the 
husbandman,  who,  after  preparing  his  ground  and 
sowing  his  seed,  should  take  no  further  thought  about 
it  till  the  clay  of  the  harvest?  Trifling  harvest ;  trifling 
as  his  neglect  appears,  when  compared  with  his,  who, 
after  sowing  the  seed  of  eternal  happiness,  shews  no 
anxiety  to  see  it  spring.  Or,  what  should  we  think  of 
that  ambassador,  who,  after  delivering  his  message, 
though  fully  and  faithfully,  should  then  dismiss  all 
anxiety  about  the  success  of  his  embassy,  and  regard 
not  how  he  should  speed  in  his  master's  service  ? 
Would  we  not  deem  such  a  careless  ambassador  un- 
worthy of  the  high  trust  reposed  in  him  ?  And  must 
we  not  judge  in  the  same  manner  of  that  ambassador 
of  Christ,  who,  in  his  infinitely  important  business, 
acts  the  same  careless  part  ?  How  different  was  the 
conduct  of  Abraham's  faithful  servant,  who,  after 
delivering  his  message,  would  neither  eat  nor  drink 
till  he  saw  his  master's  business  was  like  to  do  well  ? 
Such  should  be  our  solicitude  about  the  success  of 
that  ministry  of  reconciliation,  of  which  our  Lord 
hath  done  us  the  honour  to  give  us  the  charge. 
For,  if  wc  pay  no  regard  to  the  souls  of  our  hearers, 
but  in  those  public  exhibitions,  which  our  duty  in- 
dispensibly  requires,  we  shall  never  see  the  fruit  of 
our  labour  in  the  reformation  of  our  people.     If  we 


20(5  lecture  xxr. 

seek  not,  and  use  not,  other  occasions,  and  that  daily? 
of  conveying  and  confirming  religious  impressions, 
of  recovering  the  fallen,  refreshing  the  weary,  and 
leading  on  tiie  willing  ;  if  we  neglect  to  warn,  ex- 
hort, comfort,  visit,  and  instruct,  as  exigencies  may 
require,  and  as  opportunity  may  offer  ;  if  we  bear 
not  their  names  and  their  cases  in  prayer  before  God, 
and,  with  unceasing  solicitude,  implore  his  blessing 
on  our  labours,  how  can  we  hope  that  God  will  give 
us  the  pleasure  of  seeing  those  labours  prosper  ?  How 
can  we  hope  that  he  will  perform  to  us  his  promise 
made  to  his  faithful  servants,  of  being  with  them,  put- 
ting his  spirit  upon  them,  and  his  word  in  their  mouth, 
and  of  making  Satan  fall  before  them  as  lightning 
from  heaven  ?  These  blessings  await  only  those  who 
solicitously  seek  them. 

O  God  and  Father  of  my  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ,  in  whose  name  1  have  been  speaking,  and 
whose  message  I  have  been  declaring,  pardon  the 
sins  of  my  holy  things*  and  prosper,  for  the  sake  of 
thy  Son,  the  work,  the  important  work,  in  which  I 
have  been  engaged  !  Thy  servant  has  heen  plant- 
ing and  watering,  and  now  waits,  at  the  foot  of  thy 
throne,  for  that  blessing  of  thine,  which  only  can 
give  the  increase.  O  let  the  dew  of  heaven  alight 
on  my  garden,  and  the  sun  of  righteousness  shine  on 
it  !  Or,  if  this  be  too  bold  a  request  for  a  worm  ut- 
terly unworthy  of  thy  least  notice,  do  it  for  thy  own 
great  name's  sake  ;  honour  thy  own  word  ;  bless 
thy  awn  ordinances;  and  glorify  thy  Son,  and  suffer 
not  his  blood  to  be  shed,  for  this  people,  without 
effect  !  O  may  he  see  of  the  travail  of  his  soul 
among  them,  and  be  satisfied  !  May  the  spirit  which 
he  hath  purchased  work  powerfully  among  them  ! 
May  he  teach,  convincey  convert,  sanctify,  and  seal 
them  to  the  day  of  redemption  !  O  why  should 
these  poor  sheep  perish,  when  an  all-sufficient  Saviour 
is  provided  !  Is  there  no  balm  for  them  in  Gilead, 


LECTURE    XXT.  207 

is  there  no  physician  there  ?  O  may  it  appear  that 
there  is  !  Hear,  heal,  save  !  Let  this  be  a  day  of 
thy  power,  on  which  they  may  be  a  willing  people  ; 
a  day  which  many  of  them  may  remember,  as  that 
on  which  they  received  a  spiritual  life,  and  were  born 
again  !  Let  this  be  a  day  on  which  the  great  and 
good  Shepherd  himself  shall  be  said  to  have  gone 
forth  to  seek  the  lost,  and  bring  the  wandering 
home  !  May  this  be  a  day  on  which  he  shall  be 
said  to  have  fed  this  jlock  as  a  shepherd,  to  have  ga- 
thered the  Lambs  with  his  arm  and  carried  them  in 
his  bosom,  and  to  have  gently  Id  those  that  are  with 
young  !  On  this  day,  O  my  God  !  let  the  heavenly 
harps  be  strung  in  praise  of  thy  redeeming  love,  and 
let  rejoicing  angels  sing  over  the  conversion  of  sin- 
ners !  O  hear  the  prayers  of  the  church  on  earth, 
and  fulfd  the  joy  of  the  church  in  heaven,  so  shall 
the  church,  above  and  below,  with  one  voice,  praise 
thee ;  and  so  shall  thy  servant  go  on  in  his  way  re- 
joicing !  O  let  not  my  Lord  be  angry,  if  his  unwor- 
thy servant  shall  urge  this  request  with  persever- 
ing importunity  ;  if  I  shall  never  hold  my  peace,  day 
nor  night,  and  give  thee  no  rest,  till  thou  establish  and 
make  this  people  a  praise  on  %hz  earth  !  For  this 
purpose,  let  thy  word  this  day  preached,  and  the 
ministerial  labour  this  day  performed,  be  blessed  to 
them  !  Let  it  be  as  the  good  seed  that  shall  bring 
forth  an  hundred  fold  ;  and  let  thy  good  providence 
watch  over  it,  that  no  enemy  may  sow  tares  among 
it  !  And  now,  O  God,  let  not  thy  servant  be  as  the 
husbandman  who  slept,  but  give  him  grace  to  watch 
and  be  faithful  ;  and  bless  thou  his  labour,  and  give 
the  increase!  May  the  seed  spring,  grow,  and  ripen, 
through  thy  blessing,  on  his  constant  care  !  May  it 
be  kept  till  the  great  day  of  the  harvest,  bound  in  the 
bundle  of  life,  and  gathered  in,  by  rejoicing  an- 
gels into  the  garner  of  God  !  O  rny  God,  give  me 
grace  to  be  more  faithful,  and  enable  me  to  discharge 


208  LECTURE  XXL 

all  the  duties  of  my  ministry  !  O  my  God,  be  the 
God  of  my  people  !  Carry  ikem  in  thy  bosom,  as  a 
nursing  father  bcarcth  the  sucking  child  ;  and  let  thy 
everlasting  arms  be  underneath  them  !  O  hear,  for  the 
sake  of  thy  Son,  whose  name  I  make  my  supplica- 
tion, through  whose  hands  I  desire  to  transmit  it,  and 
on  whose  intercession  I  rely,  for  procuring  it  thy  ac- 
ceptance,    Amen. 


LECTURE  XXII. 

That  a  Minister  of  the  Gospel  should  attend  to  tin 
Daily  Duties  of  his   Office. 

1.  CATECHISING. 

WITH  solicitude  for  success  is  naturally  connect- 
ed the  most  unremitting  attention  to  daily  duties. 
We  ought  never  to  forget,  my  brethren,  that  the  ser- 
vice of  the  sanctuary  and  of  the  Sabbath  is  not  all 
the  work  of  a  minister.  It  is  perhaps  the  least  and 
the  lightest  part  of  it.  He  must  rebuke,  reprove, 
exhort,  and  teach  daily,  at  all  seasons,  and  from 
house  to  house;  otherwise  he  can  never  have  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  his  labour  prosper  *.  On  the  con- 
trary, like  the  stone  which  Sisyphus  rolled  up  the 
hill,  and  which  rebounded  to  the  valley  whenever 
be  slackened  his  efforts,  our  work  will  fall  back  eve- 
ry time  we  lessen  our  diligence,  and  so  put  us  to  the 
same  necessity  with  the  Sisyphean  shade  of  renew- 
ing our  labours.  The  statuary,  the  painter,  and 
other  artificers,  after  an  intermission,  will  find  their 
work  in  the  state  in  which  they  left  it ;  but  we  have 
frequently  the  mortification  to  see  ours  effaced,  like 
those  figures  which  have  been  made  in  the  sand,  and 
of  which  no  impression  remains  after  the  tide  is  re- 
turned. 

We  must,  therefore,  my  brethren,  ply  our  labour 
with  incessant  care.  Our  business  is  the  business  of 
every  day  and  of  every  hour ;  for  if  at  any  time  we 
are  remiss,  the  enemy  will  be  sure  to  take  the  ad- 
vantage.    The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  likened  to  a 

*  Acts  xx.  18—30.  &v.  42. 

Cc 


210  LECTURE  XXII. 

man  who  sowed  oood  seed  in  his  field,  but  while 
men  slept,  his  enemy  came  and  sowed  tares  among 
it.  "  Public  ordinances  are  but  a  part  of  that  pasture 
€t  which  our  Lord  hath  prepared  for  his  sheep,  and 
"  which  every  true  pastor  ought  to  administer.  We 
"  must  then,  my  brethren,  as  the  representatives  of 
"the  great  Shepherd,  have  his  tenderness,  love,  and 
"  care  in  visiting  our  flock,  inquiring  into  their  spi- 
ritual state,  their  knowledge,  growth,  conversa- 
"  tion,  and  holiness.  We  must,  like  our  great  High 
"  Priest,  bring  their  names,  their  doubts,  their  temp- 
"  tations,  before  the  throne ;  as  much  as  administer 
"  the  two  seals  of  the  covenant,  or  exercise  power 
"  and  authority  in  excluding  members.  Appearing 
(i  in  the  pulpit,  and  at  the  table  of  the  Lord,  is  the 
"  least  part  of  our  work.  Our  master's  family  on 
"  earth  (over  which  we  are  made  stewards)  are  a 
a  company  of  tempted  ones  ;  who  need  exhortation, 
"  reproof,  comfort,  in  a  more  personal  and  particular 
a  way  than  can  be  given  from  the  pulpit.  By  fre  • 
"  quent  private  interviews  we  slide  into  their  hearts, 
"  and  draw  out  their  whole  soul,  before  they  are 
u  aware.  By  prayer  with  them  and  for  them,  we 
a  make  their  doubts,  fears,  comforts,  our  own. 
(t  Some  of  the  sweetest  senses  which  we  are  helped 
"  to  give  of  scripture,  we  will  find  the  issue  and  re- 
"  suit  of  the  conllicts,  experiences,  and  love-visits  of 
"  other  saints.  The  apostle  Paul  himself  expected 
u  to  receive  some  spiritual  gift  from  the  believing 
a  Romans,  as  well  as  to  impart  good  to  them,  when 
"  he  should  have  an  opportunity  of  seeing  them.* 
"  And  nothing  will  render  us  more  like  to  Christ, 
"  than  a  compassionate  suffering  with  all  the  mem- 
"  bers  of  the  church,  in  all  their  afflictions,  trials, 
<(  consolations,  inward  and  outward.  Who,  says 
"  the  apostle,  is  weak,  and  I  am  not  weak  ?  Who  is 
a  offended,  and  I  burn  not?,,f 

*  Rom.  i.  12.  t  Hill's  Serm. 


LECTURE   XXII.  211 

We,  whom  God  hath  honoured  with  the  ministry 

of  the  gospel,  should  be  devoted  entirely  to  the  ser- 
vice of  our  flock,  that  they  may  reap  all  possible 
fruit  from  our  life  and  from  our  labours.  This  should 
be  our  ambition,  our  pleasure,  our  end  and  aim  in 
every  thing.  We  should  consider,  that,  from  the 
moment  in  which  we  enter  on  this  sacred  office,  we 
have,  as  it  were,  given  up  all  right  over  ourselves, 
and  transferred  it  to  the  flock  to  which  we  appertain. 
Yes,  my  brethren,  to  this  we  owe  our  care,  our 
time,  our  heart,  our  life,  and  our  death  too,  if  duty 
and  religion  should  require  it.  This  is  the  field  we 
ought  to  labour,  the  vineyard  we  ought  to  cultivate, 
and  the  family  we  ought  to  manage  as  stewards, 
with  all  the  application  of  which  we  are  capable. 
It  is  not  enough  that  we  deliver  the  most  affecting 
and  instructive  sermons  ;  and  that  with  all  possible 
seriousness  and  warmth  ;  it  is  not  enough  that  we 
discharge  with  a  becoming  solemnity  alf  the  other 
public  services  of  our  religion ;  we  must  seek  and 
embrace  every  occasion  of  cultivating  the  acquain- 
tance of  our  people,  and  be  constantly  engaged  in 
good  offices  among  them.  We  must  show  all  dili- 
gence in  teaching  and  training  the  young  tc*  piety 
and  virtue  ;  in  reclaiming,  or  comfirming,  or  per- 
fecting those  who  are  farther  advanced  in  life,  as 
their  various  cases  may  require.  We  must  listen 
with  tenderness  and  patience  to  the  doubts  and  dis  - 
tresses  of  all  our  people,  however  mean  may  be  their 
rank  or  understanding.  We  must  relieve,  or  get  re- 
lief to  the  needy,  as  we  best  can  ;  visit  and  comfort 
the  afflicted,  pray  by  them  with  fervency,  and  exhort 
them  with  love,  prudence,  and  fidelity.  In  a  word. 
we  should  reckon  every  day  and  hour  lost,  in  which 
we  are  not  occupied  in  the  way  of  our  duty,  and 
in  which  we  have  not  an  opportunity  of  doing  some- 
thing for  the  glory  of  God  and  the  souls  of  our  peo- 
ple.    And  that  such  precious  opportunities  may  not 


212  LECTURE  xxn. 

be  lost  from  inattention,  we  ought  to  look  often 
about  us  in  search  of  them,  and  reckon  our  own 
happiness  to  be  deeply  concerned  in  finding  them. 
We  should  in  the  morning  say  to  ourselves,  "  What 
ie  may  I  do  this  day  for  my  charge ?  How  shall  I 
u  lay  out  myself,  my  time,  and  my  means,  so  as 
"  may  best  advance  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  sal- 
a  vation  of  souls  ?57  In  the  evening,  in  like  manner, 
we  ought  to  call  ourselves  to  an  account  of  the  im- 
provement we  have  made  of  the  day,  and  to  exa- 
mine how  we  have  bestowed  our  thoughts,  our 
words,  and  our  actions.  This  recollection  will  fur- 
nish us  with  matter  of  praise  or  humiliation  for  the 
devotions  of  the  closet.  If  the  latter  (as  is  most 
likely),  it  should  be  accompanied  with  a  holy  reso- 
lution of  improving  the  next  day  better ;  if,  after 
having  wasted  so  much  of  our  master's  goods,  we 
shall  be  continued  another  day  in  our  stewardships 
In  any  event,  it  will  be  of  use  to  consider,  if 
more  love  would  not  beget  more  diligence ;  and  to 
study  how  we  may  best  promote  that  holy  affection  3 
both  to  God  and  man. 

None  of  us,  my  brethren,  liveth  unto  himself.  We 
live  for  our  people ;  and  should  watch  over  their 
souls-  as  those  who  have  an  account  to  render.  A 
minister,  therefore,  like  his  emblem  in  the  prophetic 
vision,  ought  to  be  on  all  sides  beset  with  eyes,  as 
one  who  has  not  only  to  attend  to  himself,  but  to 
multitudes  brides.  He  ought,  as  much  as  possible, 
to  observe  every  step  which,  every  one  of  his  people 
takes,  that  he  may  know  how  to  deal  with  each  of 
them  in  what  concerns  his  salvation.  Without  this, 
how  can  he  answer  to  God  for  the  souls  of  which  he 
had  the  charge  ?  Alas  !  how  can  any  man  give  an 
account  of  what  he  has  never  inquired  into,  and  con- 
sequently never  known  ?  It  will  no  doubt  be  pleaded 
by  some,  that  their  people  are  too  numerous  to  ad- 
mit of  this  intimate  knowledge  of  every  one  of  them. 


LECTURE  XXII.  21$ 

But  I  fear  it  can  be  pleaded  only  by  the  fewest,  that 
they  made  this  the  object  of  their  utmost  care,  and 
that  they  were  at  all  possible  pains  to  know  the  state 
of  their  flock.  And  if  we  would  wish  that  neither 
God  nor  our  own  conscience  may  condemn  us,  in 
this  respect,  we  must  carefully  avail  ourselves  of  the 
daily  opportunities  which  may  be  furnished  for  this- 
purpose,  by  Catechising,  Pastoral  Visits,  and  Visits 
to  the  Sick. 

Catechising  (which  consists  in  teaching  young 
or  ignorant  persons  the  principal  points  of  religion, 
in  regard  to  belief  and  practice)  is  so  useful  a  part  of 
the  ministerial  office,  that  one  should  think  it  ought 
to  be  among  the  last  that  should  be  laid  aside.     Yet 
in  many  places  it  seems  to  be  almost  entirely  given 
up ;  in  others  much  on  the  decline.     The  priest,  it  is 
alledged,  loves  his  ease,   and  the  people  their  igno 
ranee.     But  are  we,  my  brethren,  to  prefer  our  ease 
to  our  duty,  or  are  we  to  indulge  our  people  in  their 
ignorance,  because  they  love  it  ?    God  forbid  !    We 
might  as  well,  under  the  same  pretext,  indulge  and 
countenance  them  in  their  vices.     It  is  our  business 
to  draw  olT  their  attention  from  what  may  be  most 
pleasing  to  corrupt  nature,  and  to  fix  it  on  what  is 
most  important  and  useful :  and  that  the  practice  of 
catechising   our    people,    and   more   especially  the 
younger  part  of  them,  is  so,  cannot  be  denied.     A 
catechism  contains,  or  should  contain,  the  plain  and 
fundamental  articles  of  our  faith  and  practice.    With- 
out learning  these,  in  something  of  a  systematic  form, 
though  men  may  have  the  scriptures  at  large  in  their 
hands,  they  know  not  often  what  they  profess,  nor 
can  they  give  any  good  account  of  the  faith  that  is 
in  them  :  And  without  learning  these  things  early, 
they  seldom  submit  to  learn  them  at  all,  much  less 
to  commit  them  to  memory  when  they  advance  in 
years.     We  should,  therefore,  take  care  that  this  be 
done  as  early  as  possible,  and  that  every  part  of  what 


214  LECTURE  xxrr. 

the  catechism  contains  be  explained  to  them,  as  they 
shall  be  able  to  receive  it.  A  system  so  short  as  that 
it  may  be  committed  to  memory,  were  it  ever  so 
plain,  has  need  to  be  enlarged  on.  We  mast  also 
produce  the  scriptural  proofs,  as  well  as  explanations, 
of  what  it  contains,  show  the  connection  of  it's  parts, 
the  tendency  of  it's  doctrines,  and  the  extent  of  it's 
precepts. 

Besides  the  necessity  of  this  practice,  for  giving 
the  young  a  knowledge  of  their  religion,  fitting  them 
for  taking  their  baptismal  vows  upon  themselves,  and 
renewing  their  engagements  at  the  Lord's  supper,  it 
is  attended  with  the  happiest  consequences  to  those 
who  are  advanced  in  life,  and  who,  if  left  to  them- 
selves, are  but  too  apt  to  grow  remiss,  and  to  lose 
more  than  they  gain  in  knowledge. 

This  practice,  too,  will  bring  our  public  teaching 
more  close  to  our  people's  consciences,  and  make  ev- 
ery thing  we  say  more  particular  and  personal,  and, 
consequently,  more  regarded.  It  will  excite  them  ta 
more  industry  and  diligence  in  treasuring  up  religi- 
ous knowledge  in  their  memories  at  home,  as  well 
as  induce  them  to  give  the  more  earnest  heed  at 
church,  lest  the  things  which  they  hear  should,  at 
any  time,  slip  out  of  their  minds.  Their  being  sure 
that  they  are  soon  to  be  questioned  about  what  they 
read  of  the  scriptures  at  home,  and  what  they  hear 
of  them  in  sermons,  as  well  as  about  their  knowing 
and  understanding  the  catechism,  or  form  of  sound 
words,  which  their  church  prescribes,  is  a  strong  in- 
citement to  diligent  preparation,  in  order  to  acquit 
themselves  properly  when  examined.  And  if  they 
further  know,  that  their  proficiency  is  noted  down, 
from  time  to  time,  in  the  margin  of  the  list,  and  will 
be  observed  by  their  pastor,  there  will  be  few  who 
will  not  be  anxious  to  maintain  in  this,  as  in  other 
respects,  a  character  in  U)e  eye*  of  their  neighbours 
and  of  their  minister. 


LECTURE  XXII.  £15 

We  should,  at  the  same  time,  endeavour  to  make 
this  exercise  appear,  as  much  as  possible,  a  privilege, 
rather  than  a  task  or  burden.  1  have  known  it  so 
managed,  that  any  person  who  was  not  examined, 
considered  the  neglect  as  the  severest  mark  of  his 
pastor's  displeasure,  which  seldom  failed  of  produ- 
cing the  proper  fruits  of  self-examination,  repentance, 
and  amendment  of  life.  It  is,  however,  the  more 
common  case,  especially  where  this  exercise  has  been, 
for  any  time,  allowed  to  fall  into  disuse,  that  many 
will  not  submit  to  it,  and  that  more  will  not  punctu- 
ally attend  it.  But  any  objection  that  we  can  urge 
against  the  duty,  on  this  score,  will  easily  be  remov- 
ed, if  (with  prudence  and  prayer)  we  make  use  of  that 
authority  and  discipline  which  is  connected  with  our 
office,  and  of  which  1  shall  say  something  in  the  se- 
quel. Few  are  so  far  lost  as  to  make  light  of  the 
other  privileges  of  the  gospel,  which  may,  and  ought 
to  be  withheld,  if  they  make  light  of  this.  Or,  if 
they  should  still  look  upon  it  as  a  duty,  they  must  al- 
low that  duty  is  the  only  road  to  privilege.  In  either 
view,  the  practice  of  our  part  of  the  duty,  consecrated 
by  the  example  of  our  Saviour,  and  kept  in  force  by 
the  practice  and  precepts  of  his  church  ever  since,  is  to 
be  duly  and  religiously  performed. 

I  must,  however,  observe,  that  there  are  a  few  in 
superior  offices  and  stations,  who,  from  long  prescrip- 
tive use,  think  they  have  ajust  claim  to  be  exempt- 
ed. And  we,  from  motives  of  peace  and  ministerial 
prudence,  ought,  perhaps,  at  times,  to  allow  the  claim. 
Not  indeed  because  we  are  always  satisfied  that  they 
have  knowledge,  but  because  we  are  sometimes  afraid 
of  exposing  their  ignorance.  Hence,  however,  ap- 
pears the  necessity  of  more  than  ordinary  diligence  to 
instruct  and  catechise  the  children  of  the  richer  and 
higher  classes  of  men,  when  they  are  young,  since 
they  will  not,  when  they  grow  up,  submit  to  it, 


216  LECTURE   XXII. 

But  let  us  own  it,  my  brethren,  the  greatest  ob- 
jection to  the  practice  of  catechising  our  people,  will 
be  found,  I  fear,  to  lie  often  at  our  own  door.  "  The 
«'  work  is  difficult,  our  parishes  are  large,  and  we  can- 
"  not  often  overtake  it,  amidst  so  much  other  busi- 
"  ness."  The  work  is,  confessedly,  attended  with 
labour  ;  and  who  ever  dreamed  that  this  was  not  the 
case  with  every  part  of  our  office?  An  office  which  re- 
quires of  us, u  never  to  cease  from  our  labour,  care,  and 
u  diligence,  till  we  have  done  all  that  liethin  us,  accord- 
"  ing  to  our  bounden  duty,  towards  all  such  as  are 
"  committed  to  our  care,  in  order  to  bring  them  to  a 
"  ripeness  and  perfection  of  stature  in  Christ  Jesus."* 
An  office  which  requires  of  us,  "  to  set  aside,  as  much 
"  as  may  be,  all  worldly  cares  and  studies,  and  to 
u  give  ourselves  wholly  to  this  vocation,  and  to  draw 
c'  all  our  cares  and  studies  this  way,  and  to  this  end, 
a  that,  by  our  daily  reading  and  weighing  of  the 
*  scriptures,  and  praying  for  the  assistance  of  God's 
4  holy  spirit,  we  may  usefully  perform  the  daily  du- 
*'■  ties  of  our  calling,  and  wax  daily  riper  and  strong- 
"  er  in  our  ministry  ,"t  An  office  which  requires  of 
us,  and  requires  it  under  the  sanction  of  most  so- 
lemn vows,  "  faithfully,  diligently,  and  cheerfully, 
"  to  discharge  all  the  parts  of  the  ministerial  work,  to 
"  the  edification  of  the  body  of  Chrisk"J  Who 
"  would  have  ever  thought  but  such  an  office  was 
extremely  difficult  and  laborious? 

Yes,  my  brethren,  our  whole  office,  and  especi- 
ally this  part  of  it,  is  attended  with  labour.  But  of 
labour  we  ought  to  make  no  account,  when  it  is  pro- 
ductive, as  here,  of  the  greatest  advantage  both  to 
ourselves  and  to  our  people.  With  regard  to  ourselves, 
there  is  nothing  better  calculated  to  exercise  and  in- 
crease all  our  gifts  and  graces,  to  give  our  conscien- 

#  Liturgy  of  the  Church  of  England.  f  Ibid. 

t  Acts  of  Assembly  1711. 


LECTURE  XXIf.  217 

peace,  and  to  fill  our  hearts  with  joy,  in  the  pros- 
pect of  that  awful  day  on  which  our  life  and  actions 
are  to  be  reviewed.  Besides,  it  will  give  us  the  best 
opportunity  of  becoming  intimately  acquainted  with 
our  people,  so  as  to  let  us  know  the  temper,  charac- 
ter, and  conduct  of  each.  This  knowledge  will  en- 
able us  to  address  them  in  a  suitable  manner  on  all 
occasions,  and  to  put  up  such  prayers  for  them  as 
may  suit  their  respective  conditions.  And,  let  me 
ask  you,  my  brethren,  I  beseech  you,  what  mighty 
service  can  we  do  to  the  souls  of  our  people,  if  we 
have  not  this  intimate  knowledge  of  their  persons, 
names,  and  characters  ?  Must  a  teacher  know  his 
scholars,  a  physician  his  patients,  and  even  a  herd 
his  cattle,  before  they  can  take  the  proper  care  of 
their  respective  charges  ?  and  are  not  we  under  a 
stronger  necessity  of  knowing  the  flock  over  'whom 
the  Holy  Ghost  hath  made  us  overseers,  that  we  may 
be  able  to  take  heed  to  all  of  them  ?  How  gladly, 
then,  should  we  attend  to  that  part  of  our  duty, 
which  gives  us  the  best  opportunity  of  acquiring  this 
useful  knowledge,  by  which  we  may  have  so  great 
an  advantage. 

But  the  practice  of  this  duty  is  attended  with  still 
greater  gain  to  our  people.  It  not  only  grounds  them 
in  the  first  principles  of  Christianity,  and  lays  the 
foundation  of  religion  in  their  souls,  but  also  enables 
them  to  understand  those  terms  and  modes  of  speech 
which  perpetually  occur  in  our  sermons.  In  public 
we  speak  to  many ;  and  what  we  say  may  sometimes 
hardly  suit  the  particular  case  of  any  number  of 
them  ;  or,  if  it  should,  the  fewest  only  will  take  the 
trouble  of  applying  it  to  themselves,  though  ready 
enough  to  apply  it  to  their  neighbours.  But,  when 
we  address  only  one,  he  knows  he  is  the  man :  His 
thoughts  are  kept  close  to  the  discourse  ;  he  is  obli- 
ged to  take  part  in  it ;  the  whole  of  it  is  made  level 
to  his  capacity,  and  lie  is  forced  to  apply  it.     Indeed, 


218  LECTURE  xxn. 

this  personal  and  private  teaching  is  so  necessary, 
that,  without  it,  little  can  be  expected  from  the  most 
excellent  sermons.  Try  it  when  you  please,  my  bre- 
thren, and  you  will  find,  that  hundreds  who  have 
heard  your  sermons,  perhaps  for  twenty  years,  are 
grossly  and  wofully  ignorant,  if  they  have  not  also 
been  taught  and  examined  in  private.  A  teacher, 
who  should  impose  no  task,  nor  ask  any  question  of 
his  scholars,  although  he  should  oftener  than  one 
day  in  the  week  read  excellent  lectures,  would  find 
very  few  of  them  make  any  sensible  progress.  In  a 
word,  what  Quinctilian  says  of  children  is  equally 
applicable  to  grown  people.  "  They  are  like  narrow- 
tw  necked  bottles,  which,  if  you  wish  to  fill  with  wa- 
"  ter,  you  must  take  singly,  and  pour  it  into  one  after 
"  another ;  for  you  will  never  speed  by  setting  them 
"  all  together,  and  casting  ever  so  much  water  among 
u  them;' 

Perhaps  you  object  to  all  this,  u  the  largeness  of 
"  your  parish  and  the  numbers  of  your  people  ;" 
and,  it  is  to  be  regretted,  that,  on  this  head,  there 
is  so  much  reason  to  complain.  The  number  of  pas- 
tors is  indeed  very  inadequate  to  the  number  of  souls 
of  which  they  have  charge,  owing  sometimes  to  a 
number  tof  churches  having  been  suppressed,  and 
their  revenues  sacrilegiously  withheld  ;  but  oftener 
to  the  general  indifference  of  rulers  for  the  souls  of 
men,  committing  thousands  of  them  to  the  charge 
of  a  single  person,  when  they  would  givo  no  one 
man  the  charge  of  half  that  number  of  their  oxen, 
their  asses,  or  their  sheep.  But,  leaving  those  con- 
cerned to  answer  for  this  to  God,  you  will  do  well 
to  consider  if  your  charge  and  your  living,  dissimi- 
lar as  perhaps  they  are,  may  not  both  be  divided  'T 
or,  if  you  might  not,  one  way  or  another,  by  due 
exertion,  get  one  or  more  to  take  a  share  in  the  bur- 
den, and  assist  you.  In  any  event,  you  are  your 
self  to  labour,  to  the  utmost  of  your  power,  before 


LECTURE    XXIT.  219 

you  can  be  sure  of  being  acquitted.  You  cannot,  per- 
haps, catechise  your  parish  half-yearly,  as  others  may 
do,  who  have  a  smaller  charge  ;  it'  not,  take  a  year, 
or  even  more,  if  nceesary.  Two  days  in  the  week, 
with  a  few  families  to  each,  will  bring  you  through 
in  good  time,  without  being  overcome  with  the  la- 
bour ;  and,  in  the  remaining  part,  if  well  managed, 
you  can  easily  overtake  every  other  part  of  your 
business. 

As  to  the  manner  of  conducting  this  part  of  duty, 
that  must,  in  a  great  measure,  be  left  to  every  one's 
own  discretion.  I  shall  only  observe,  that  it  must 
all  be  gone  through  in  the  spirit  of  love  and  meek- 
ness. Avoid  all  hasty,  harsh,  and  discouraging  ex- 
pressions, which  would  be  little  better  than  daggers 
on  these  occasions.  Be  as  condescending,  and  pa- 
tient, and  familiar,  and  plain,  as  possible.  Let  your 
people  see  and  feel  that  you  aim  at  nothing  but  their 
salvation.  Make  every  necessary  allowance  for  youth 
and  age,  for  want  of  leisure  and  of  opportunity 
Ask  no  needless  or  unimportant  questions,  and  ex- 
pect no  nice  definitions.  Many  have  some  know- 
ledge who  have  no  facility  of  expression.  Propose 
your  questions  in  the  simplest  form,  and  in  the  plain- 
est terms ;  and  make  every  one  answer  in  his  own 
plain  and  familiar  language.  Ask  no  question  that 
you  think  too  difficult  for  the  person  you  speak  to, 
lest  he  think  you  mean  to  expose  him.  Never  allow 
any  one  to  be  long  at  a  loss,  but  either  simplify  the 
question,  or  immediately  solve  it.  Analise  the  ques- 
tions, which  they  can  repeat  by  rote,  into  their  com- 
ponent parts,  that  they  may  learn  to  attend  to  the 
meaning  of  all  the  particulars  which  these  questions 
comprehend,  and  to  observe  the  import  of  the  words 
which  they  can  repeat.  Dwell  chiefly  on  points  of 
the  greatest  importance,  and  again  and  again  explain 
them.  You  can  harldy  conceive  how  slow  they  are 
to  understand  those  spiritual  things  to  which  thjir 


220  LECTURE   XXII. 

thoughts  arc  so  little  accustomed.  The  plainest  truths 
of  the  gospel  to  them  are  often  as  the  deepest  mys- 
teries. When  you  have  done  with  each,  direct  him 
to  what  he  should  principally  attend  till  called  again, 
and  mark  it  after  his  name  in  your  roll,  with  any  thing 
else  that  you  may  wish  to  remember  concerning  him. 
Prescribe  tasks  to  the  younger,  and  let  them  know 
that  you  mark  their  progress.  After  you  have  in 
this  manner  dealt  with  each,  and  pressed  your  suit 
with  a  holy  mixture  of  seriousness,  and  terror,  and 
love,  and  meekness,  and  evangelical  allurement, 
conclude  with  an  earnest  and  general  exhortation, 
and  with  fervent  prayers  to  Cod  (as  in  the  begin- 
ning), since  he  only  can  give  to  this,  and  every  other 
mean  of  grace,  a  blessing.  Psalms,  and  hymns  of 
praise,  are,  on  these  occasions  too,  extremely  be- 
coming. 

It  would  greatly  add  to  the  good  effects  of  cate- 
chising, if  ministers  were,  once  every  year,  to  go 
through  the  church  catechism  in  public,  and  explain 
every  word  of  it  to  their  people.  And  this  can  be 
no  hard  matter  to  any  man,  when  he  has  once  made 
up  his  mind  upon  it,  and  formed  some  easy  illustra- 
tions and  similes,  which  the  hearers  can  retain  in  their 
memory.  In  situations  in  which  the  people  could 
attend,  the  Sabbath  evenings,  when  the  days  are 
long,  might  be  devoted  with  great  advantage,  to 
this  useful  exercise. 

Here,  then,  I  drop  the  subject  of  catechising,  with 
observing,  that  if  ministers  were  to  make  conscience 
of  this  part  of  their  duty,  and  preach  from  house  to 
house,  the  fruits  of  it  would  soon  be  manifest,  in  the 
greater  knowledge,  and  more  holy  practice,  of  their 
people ;  whereas,  without  it,  their  public  discourses 
are,  in  respect  of  many,  in  a  great  measure,  thrown 
away.  No  wonder,  when  the  apostle  Paul  himself 
apprehended,  that  if  he  had  not  preached  privately 


LECTURE  XXII.  221 

he  might  have  laboured  in  vain*  I  charge  you, 
therefore,  my  brethren,  before  God  and  the  Lord  Je- 
sus Christ  who  shall  judge  the  quick  and  the  dead  at 
his  appearing,  and  his  kingdom,  that  you  be  instant 
in  this  duty,  in  season  and  out  of  season,  with  all 
long-suffering  and  doctrine — And  I  say  again,  let  us 
make  no  account  of  the  labour.  The  chance  of  sa- 
ving, were  it  but  one  precious  soul,  from  everlasting 
damnation,  would  deserve  our  incessant  labour  for 
ages,  if  we  might  thereby  accomplish  it.  How  much 
more,  when  we  have  the  still  nobler  chance  of  sa- 
ving many ! 

*  Gal.  ii.  2. 


LECTURE  XXIII. 

Of  Daily  Duties, — Continued. 

II.  PASTORAL  VISITS. 

PASTORAL  VISITS  are  so  greatly  fallen  into  dis- 
use in  many  places,  that  perhaps  neither  pastor  nor 
people  can  now  be  much  reconciled  to  them.  They 
would  put  the  one  to  trouble,  and  lay  the  other  un- 
der a  closer  inspection  than  would  be  altogether  plea- 
sant. Their  usefulness,  however,  will  recommend 
them  to  the  good  and  wise ;  not  only  among  pas- 
tors, but  also  among  flocks,  few  of  whom,  with  a  pru- 
dent management  on  our  part,  would  be  long  averse  to 
them.  Yes,  if  the  minister  is  truly  willing  and  zealous, 
and  manages  his  affairs  with  prudence  and  a  moderate 
share  of  discipline,  he  will  seldom  have  eause  to  com- 
plain of  the  greater  part  of  his  people.  At  any  rate, 
we  must  recommend  ourselves  to  God  by  doing  our 
duty ;  and  this  is  an  useful  part  of  it.  If  you  object 
that  your  parish  is  large,  it  is  but  taking  the  longer 
time  to  make  the  round.  A  few  hours  a  day,  for 
only  two  days  in  the  week,  will  soon  go  a  great  way 
in  the  largest  parish,  and  will  be  neither  a  hard  nor 
a  disagreeable  service ;  as  it  sweetly  mingles  the  ex- 
ercise of  mind  and  body,  corrects  the  inconveniences 
of  a  sedentary  life,  and  will  be  made  still  lighter  by 
the  pleasure  of  doing  good.  The  opportunity,  indeed, 
though  short,  is  precious  ;  especially  when  a  min- 
ister, as  will  soon  be  the  case,  becomes  acquainted 
with  the  spiritual  state  of  every  family  and  of  it's 
different  members.  Till  this  happens,  it  will  be  pro- 
per, before  entering  into  any  family,  that  he  inform 


LECTURE   XXUK  223 

himself  well  from  the  elder  or  warden  of  the  quarter, 
concerning  the  character  and  condition  of  every  per- 
son in  it.  Then,  after  entering  and  praying  that  the 
peace  and  presence  of  God  may  be  there,  he  is  to 
note  if  all  the  family  be  present,  and  if  any  change 
has  taken  place  among  the  servants  ;  that,  if  there 
has,  he  may  enquire  for  the  testimonials  of  such  as 
may  have  come  from  another  parish.  To  all  the  ser- 
vants he  is  to  speak  of  their  duty,  to  fear  and  serve 
God,  and  to  be  obedient  and  faithful  to  their  masters ; 
so  serving  at  once  the  duties  of  their  stations  as  ser- 
vants, and  the  end  of  their  calling  as  christians.  He 
is  to  speak  to  the  children  and  younger  members,  of 
the  advantage  of  knowing  and  serving  God,  of  re- 
membering their  Creator  and  Redeemer  in  the  days  of 
their  youth,  and  of  keeping  and  renewing  their  co- 
venant with  God  through  Christ.  He  is  to  speak  to- 
the  heads  of  the  family  about  their  care  of  their  own 
souls  and  those  under  their  roof,  and  of  their  duty  to 
promote  the  ends  of  religion,  and  the  worship  of 
God  in  their  family.  He  is  to  enquire  whether  in- 
deed they  do  constantly  and  regularly  maintain  this 
worship  by  prayers,  praises,  and  reading  of  the  scrip- 
tures. He  is  to  enquire  concerning  the  behaviour  o»f 
their  servants  towards  God  and  man,  concerning  their 
sanctifying  the  Sabbath,  and  conscientiously  attend- 
ing to  secret  and  public  worship.  And  all  this  he 
must  do,  not  only  with  a  view  of  knowing  how  to 
deal  with  them  now,  but  also  in  time  coming.  And 
if  the  memory  should  find  the  remembering  of  such 
particulars  as  he  may  learn  concerning  each  to  be  too 
great  a  burden,  it  may  be  in  some  measure  relieved 
by  a  list,  bearing  on  it's  margin  such  notices,  relating 
to  every  individual,  as  it  may  be  most  proper  to  re- 
member. He  will  thus  know,  at  all  times,  how  to  ad^ 
dress  each  and  all  of  them,  seasonably  and  suitably. 
And  as  his  mind  will  be  stored  with  passages  of  scrip- 
ture suited  to  every  age,  relation,  and  condition,  he 


224  lecture  xxirr. 

will  give  every  one  his  own  portion.  And  that  they 
may  not  forget  the  passages  particularly  recommend- 
ed to  their  attention,  it  will  be  proper  sometimes  to 
fold  down  a  mark  upon  them  in  their  Bibles,  that 
they  may  consider  them  often,  and  lay  them  up  in 
their  memory. 

The  length  of  the  visit  should  at  no  time  exceed 
the  relish  which  the  persons  to  whom  it  is  made 
may  have  for  spiritual  entertainments.  To  let  it  run 
out  in  idle  words,  and  worldly  matters,  news,  and 
such  trifles,  would  be  entirely  defeating  it's  purpose. 
It  would  be  to  make  that  common  and  profane, 
which  should  be  entirely  consecrated  to  the  service  of 
religion.  Any  other  talk,  my  brethren,  might  be 
maintained  by  any  other  person  as  well  as  by  us  ; 
and  would  be  a  degrading  of  our  character  from  the 
rank  of  sacred  to  that  of  ordinary  men.  The  reason 
why  we  have  not  more  hold  of  our  people,  and  more 
respect  and  love  from  them,  as  ministers,  is  because  we 
converse  with  them  so  little  and  so  seldom  in  our 
ministerial  character.  We  choose  to  speak  to  them 
for  the  most  part  as  one  of  themselves,  and  not  in 
the  character  of  watchmen  over  their  souls,  and 
guides  to  eternal  happiness.  But  if  at  any  other  time 
we  should  converse  as  men,  at  this  time,  at  least,  we 
ought  to  converse  as  christians.  Those  themes  which 
are  to  occupy  eternity  may  well  engross  a  few  mi- 
nutes. 

The  visit,  then,  be  it  short  or  long,  must  be  devo- 
ted entirely  to  the  edification  of  the  souls  that  are 
present ;  excepting  such  affectionate  enquiries  about 
the  absent  members  or  friends  of  the  family,  as  may 
furnish  us  with  proper  matter  for  giving  them  a  share 
in  those  joint  prayers  with  which  those  visits  ought 
always  to  be  concluded.  Before  such  prayer,  howe- 
ver, it  will  be  proper  to  sum  up  what  has  been  said 
to  every  individual,  in  a  short  exhortation  to  all,  to 
make  conscience  of  ^\Qry  part  of  their  duty,  in  their 


LECTURE   XXIII.  225 

respective  stations  and  relations  of  life,  to  live  in 
peace  with  each  other  and  with  all  men,  and  to  at- 
tend to  reading  the  scriptures,  private  devotion,  and 
family  worship.  They  must  be  particularly  exhort- 
ed to  attend  on  public  ordinances,  as  a  duty  which 
they  owe  to  God,  to  society,  and  to  themselves ; 
and  to  spend  as  much  as  possible  of  the  Sabbath  be- 
sides, in  the  exercise  of  piety,  private  and  domestic. 
For  this  is  almost  the  only  time  that  the  great  bulk 
of  mankind  have  for  meditating  on  what  they  hear 
in  public,  for  reading  the  scriptures  and  other  books 
of  devotion,  for  considering  their  own  ways,  and  for 
instructing  their  servants  and  their  children  in  all  the 
doctrines  and  duties  of  religion.  Of  the  peculiar  at- 
tention which  we,  on  this  and  all  other  occasions, 
ought  to  give  to  the  training  up  of  children,  I  have 
spoken  under  a  former  head.  I  have  only  to  add, 
therefore,  on  the  subject  of  these  visits,  that  we  must, 
as  Jerom  directs  us,  "  avoid  making  the  least  men- 
"  tion  in  one  place  of  what  we  hear  or  observe  in 
"  another,  and  follow  the  advice  of  Hippocrates  to 
u  his  disciples,  to  be  secret,  as  well  as  grave  and  pru- 
;i  dent  in  their  whole  deportment." 

Those  visits,  too,  will  give  us  the  best  opportunity 
of  knowing  the  necessities  of  the  poor,  and  furnish 
proper  occasions  of  Jionouring  God  with  oar  substance, 
by  relieving  them  in  such  a  measure  as  we  can,  be- 
sides recommending  them  to  the  charity  of  others. 
Nothing  will  give  so  much  efficacy  to  our  counsel,  as 
our  kind  sympathy  and  chanty  to  those  who  need 
our  aid.  And  our  means,  as  well  as  our  labour,  are 
then  best  bestowed,  when  they  tend  to  promote  the 
everlasting  interests  of  souls,  and  to  recommend  our 
holy  religion,  which  they  have  been  often  found 
to  do,  it's  bitterest  enemies  themselves  being  judges. 
■*  Is  it  not  a  shame/'  says  the  apostate  Julian,*  u  that 

*  Letter  to  Arsacius,  Heathen  High  Priest  of  Galatia. 

Ee 


226  lecture  xxnr, 

"  when  the  Jews  suffer  none  of  theirs  to  beg,  and 
"  the  Galileans  relieve  not  only  their  own,  but  those 
i:  also  of  our  religion,  that  we  only  should  be  defec- 
"  tive  in  so  necessary  a  duty  !,r 

According  to  his  abilities,  then,  a  minister  of  this 
heavenly  religion  ought  to  be  a  pattern  in  this,  as  in 
every  other  grace  and  virtue,  and  in  charity,  as  weft 
as  piety,  to  excel  the  rest  of  mankinds    He  ought  to 
consider  how  well  it  becomes  him,  how  valuable  an 
influence  it  will  give  him,  and  (however  little  he  may 
have  to  spare)  how  willingly  he  should  deny  himself 
in  other  things,  and  straiten  himself  in  any  thing,, 
that  he  may  be  the  abler  to  abound  in  giving  alms. 
He  ought  to  be  able  to  say  with  Nazianzen*   "  If  I 
"  possess  either  means,  or  health,  or  credit,  or  learn- 
"  ing,  this  is  all  the  satisfaction  I  desire  from  them, 
u  that  I  may  have  somewhat  I  may  despise,  and  be- 
"  stow,  for  the  sake  of  Christ."    To  bestow,  for  the 
sake  of  Christ,  however  little  wTe  may  have,  is  the 
surest  way  to  increase  our  store..    You  have  heard 
of  the  charity  of  the  brethren  of  the  Abbey  of  Foun- 
tains,^   even  when   reduced  to   the  greatest   straits 
themselves.     During  the  first  year  of  their  establish- 
ment, before  they  load  yet  any  return  from  their 
lands,  they  were  obliged  to  subsist,  at  times,  on  the 
leaves  of  trees,  and  wild  herbs,  boiled  with  a  little 
salt.     Yet  even  in  this  season  of  distress,  they  nei- 
ther despaired  of  the  bounty  of  God,   nor  withheld 
their  charity  from  the  poor,    when  they  had  any- 
thing to  bestow.    One  day  the  abbot  had  been  abroad 
in  the  neighbourhood  to  beg  but  returned  without 
obtaining  any  aid.     Two  loaves  and  a  half  was  all 
the  little  store  they  had  now  remaining.     A  stranger 
came  to  request  a  morsel  of  bread  for  himself  and 
his  indigent  family.     All  the  monks  looked  first  at 
their  little  portion,  and  then  looked  up  to  God.    Give 

*  Orat.  I.  f  Sec  Grose's  Ruins  Qf  Abbeys,  &c 


LECTURE  xxin.  227 

"him,  said  the  abbot,  one  of  the  loaves ;  we  can  ne- 
ver be  losers  by  giving  alms.  Yes,  give  it,  said  all ; 
for  God  will  provide  for  us.  It  happened  according 
to  their  faith  :  for  their  wants  were  soon  supplied  by 
the  arrival  of  a  cart-load  of  bread,  sent  them  as  a 
present  from  a  rich  neighbour,  who  was  struck  with 
the  account  which  he  got  of  their  kindness  and  dis- 
tress from  the  very  stranger  whom  they  had  a  little 
before  relieved.  Remember  too  the  widow  of  3a- 
repta ;  and  the  peculiar  promises  of  mercy  to  those 
who  show  it. 

I  trust  I  need  not  recommend  the  careful  oversight 
and  management  of  any  public  charities  that  may  be 
under  our  care.  They  are  a  sacred  trust,  to  which 
conscience,  if  not  law,  obliges  us  to  attend.  Let  it, 
therefore,  be  our  first  care,  to  preserve  them,  as 
if  they  were  our  own,  and  then  to  apply  them,  as 
knowing  we  have  an  account  to  render  to  God  of  our 
stewardship.  With  regard  to  the  civil  laws  made  for 
the  maintenance  of  the  poor,  it  is  a  delicate,  and  per- 
haps a  doubtful  point,  to  determine  how  far  it  might 
be  for  the  general  interest  of  the  poor  themselves,  to 
have  them  always  put  in  their  full  force.  It  is  how- 
ever, good  to  have  them  for  the  last  resource,  if,  in 
any  place  it  should  be  found  necessary  and  expedient 
to  use  them. 


LECTURE  XXIV. 

The  subject  continued. 

III.  VISITING  THE  SICK. 

VISITING  the  sick  and  the  afflicted,  in  bo- 
dy or  mind,  is  another  considerable  part  of  a  mini- 
ster's duty,  and  so  important  a  part  of  the  christian 
character  in  general,  that  our  Saviour  makes  part  of 
the  enquiry,  on  the  day  of  judgment,  to  turn  upon 
it  ;  and  the  apostle  James  intimates,  that  no  man 
can  be  truly  religious  without  it.  Hence  it  is  en- 
joined in  a  special  manner,  upon  ministers,  and  that 
on  pain  of  deposition,  by  the  laws  of  our  church.* 
Nor  ought  a  minister  to  go  about  this  duty  only 
when  he  is  sent  for,  as  that  is  generally  too  late  for  his 
being  of  any  service.  He  is  to  go  as  soon  as  he 
hears  that  any  of  his  flock  is  ill  ;  and,  during  his 
illness,  to  see  him  as  often  as  in  his  power.  On  these 
occasions,  the  most  thoughtless  are  disposed  to  be  se- 
rious, as  they  are  in  a  manner  obliged  to  think  of 
eternity.  We  ought,  therefore,  to  improve  such 
opportunities  with  care,  and  to  co-operate  with  the 
dispensations  of  providence,  in  forming  the  soul  to 
virtue,    or    in   confirming   dispositions    of  holiness 

*  "  It  is  ordained,  that  such  as  shall  be  found  not  given 
"  to  their  book,  and  to  the  study  of  the  scriptures,  nor  given 
*'  to  sanctification  and  prayer  ;  such  as  study  not  to  be  pow- 
"  erful  and  spiritual  ;  such  as  are  cold,  and  wanting  spirit- 
"  ual  zeal,  negligent  in  'visiting  the  sick,  and  caring  for  the 
"  poor,  be  censured  according  to  the  degree  of  their  faults  ; 
"  and,  continuing  therein,  be  deposed."  Acts  of  Assembly 
1668. 


'       LECTURE  XXIV.  229 

where  they  are  found  and  formed  already.     When 
the  time  is   so    short,  and  heaven  or  hell  so  near, 
it  is  high  time  for  us,  and  for  them,  to  be  diligent, 
to  redeem  the  time,  and  to  lay  hold  of  eternal  life. 
But,  the  cases  of  men  being  so  various ;  it  must  be 
left  to  the    minister's  own    prudence   how  to  treat 
them,  as  no  general  rules  can  suit  every  particular 
occasion.     Sometimes  the  sick  may  not  be  in  con- 
dition to  attend  to  exhortations  ;    and,  when  they 
are,  it  requires  much  discretion  to  observe   the  due 
mean  betwixt  terrifying  them  too  much  on  the  one 
hand,  and  encouraging  them  too  much  on  the  other. 
He  car   lay  before  them,  from  the  scriptures,  what 
a  christian  ought  to  be,  and  assist  their  consciences 
in  examining  what   they  were,  and  what  they  are. 
In   so  serious  a  season,  this  examination  and  review 
of  life  may  excite  such  holy  affections  and  resolu- 
tions in  those  who  were  good  in  the  main,  as  may 
be  of  comfort  to  themselves,  and  of  use  to  others. 
The  light  that  burned  but  dimly  may  thus  be  trim- 
med, if  the  sick  in  time  had  provided  oil  for  the 
lamp.     If,  unhappily,  he  did  not,  we  must  not,  in 
opposition  to  scripture,  give  ground  to   think,  that, 
after  the    call  to  meet  the  bridegroom   is  given,   it 
may  yet  be  provided. 

In  all  cases,  however,  it  will  be  proper  that  the 
minister  pray  with  and  for  the  sick,  in  such  terms  as 
scripture  may  warrant  and  allow.  It  will  be  proper 
also,  that  he  inform  himself  of  their  conduct  and 
character,  if  he  does  not  already  know  it,  so  that 
he  may  be  able  to  address  them  suitably,  endeavour- 
ing, in  all  tenderness  and  love,  to  convince  the  un- 
godly, to  strengthen  the  weak,  to  comfort  such  as 
require  consolation,  to  direct  them  how  to  improve 
their  afflictions,  to  help  them  to  be  sensible  of  the 
evil  of  sin,  of  the  faults  and  neglects  of  their  lives, 
of  the  vanity  of  the  world,  of  the  necessity  of  a  Sa- 
viour, of  the  sufficiency  of  the  redeemer,  and  the 


£30  LECTURE  XXIV. 

certainty  and  excellency  of  the  everlasting  glory. 
He  is  to  exhort  them  to  exercise  faith  and  repen- 
tance, and  to  set  their  affections  on  the  things  that 
are  above.  Sometimes  he  may  meet  with  those 
who  are  so  insensible  of  their  sin  and  clanger,  that  he 
must  endeavour  to  awaken  them  with  the  terrors  of 
God,  the  judgment,  and  the  wrath  to  come.  He 
must  endeavour  to  make  them  sensible  of  their  sins, 
by  specifying  such  as  he  may  know  or  suspect  them 
to  have  been  guilty  of,  and  then  urge  them  to  such 
acts  of  repentance  as  they  may  yet  be  able  to  per- 
form. Yet,  "  if  they  have  been  men  of  a  bad  course 
"  of  life,  he  must  give  them  no  encouragement  to 
"  hope  much  from  this  death-bed  repentance,  though 
6i  he  is  to  set  them  to  implore  the  mercies  of  God 
46  in  Christ  Jesus,  and  to  do  all  they  can  to  obtain 
"  his  favour.  But,  unless  the  sickness  has  been  of 
4<  a  long  continuance,  and  that  a  person's  repent- 
"  ance,  his  patience,  and  his  piety,  have  been  very 
ei  extraordinary  during  the  course  of  it,  he  must  be 
a  sure  to  give  no  positive  ground  of  hope,  but 
"  leave  him  to  the  mercies  of  God ;  for  there  can- 
u  not  be  any  greater  treachery  to  souls,  or  any 
"  thing  that  is  more  fatal  and  pernicious,  than  the 
u  giving  quick  and  easy  hopes  to  dying  persons, 
a  upon  so  short,  so  forced,  and  so  imperfect  a  re- 
"  pentance.  It  not  only  makes  those  persons  perish 
■"  securely  themselves,  but  it  leads  all  about  them 
i€  to  destruction,  when  they  see  one,  of  whose  bad 
u  life  and  late  repentance  they  have  been  the  wit- 
a  nesses,  put  so  soon  in  hopes;  nay,  by  some un- 
u  faithful  guides,  made  sure  of  salvation.  There- 
u  fore,  though  no  dying  man  is  to  be  driven  to 
"  despair,   and   left  to    die    obstinately  in  his   sins 

*  (as  the  best  thing  he  can  do,  in  any  event,  is  to 

*  repent  ;)  yet,  if  we  love  the  souls  of  our  people, 
'•  if  we  set  a  due  value  on  the  blood  of  Christ,  and 

*  if  we  are  touched  with  any  sense  of  the  honour 


lecture  xxrv.  231 

:f  and  interests  of  religion,  we  must  not  say  any 
"  thing  that  may  encourage  others,  who  are  but 
*  too  apt,  of  themselves,  to  put  off  all  to  the  last 
"  hour.'?* 

Reason,  common  sense,  the  nature  of  man,  who 
is  a  child  of  habit,  his  condition  in  a  state  of  disci- 
pline and  probation,  the  nature  of  God,  and  the  na- 
ture of  the  heavenly  felicity,  with  the  necessity  of 
our   inward  faculties  being  adapted  to  the  outward 
objects,  all  declare  against  the  efficacy  of  a  late  and 
death  bed  repentance,  and  though  the  scripture  is 
somewhat  reserved  and  silent  on  the  point,  the  whole 
tenour  of  it  is  against  it,  without  a  single  promise,  or 
a    single  example,  to  encourage   us  to  trust  to  it. 
What  comfort,  then,  can  we  pretend  or  dare  to  give 
to  those  who  have  brought  themselves  to  so  unhappy 
a   situation  ?    But,  God  forbid  we  should  torment 
them   before  the  time,  by  tearing  them    from  the 
slender  twig  by   which  they   hang,     Let  us  rather 
recommend  and  leave  them  to  that  mercy   which 
they  have  abused  and  forfeited,  and  say,  with  Au- 
gustine,. "  we   accept  of   their  repentance  who  de- 
*'  layed  their  conversion  to  the  end  of  their  lives  ; 
"  but  we  make   no  great  account  of  such  conver- 
«  sions." 

In  comparison  of  this,  how  pleasant  is  our  task 
when  we  have  to  do  with  real  christians,  or  true 
and  holy  believers !  In  our  visjts  to  persons  of  this 
stamp,  it  is  our  business  to  make  them  comfortably 
hope  for  the  kingdom  which  God  hatli  promised  to 
those  that  love  him,  to  commit  their  souls  to  their 
Redeemer,  and  quietly  rest  in  the  will,  the  love,  and 
the  promises  of  God  ;  and  to  glorify  him  now  by 
bearing,  as  formerly  by  doing,  his  holy  will.  We 
are  to  labour  to  make  them  willing,  if  their  time  is 


*  Burnet's  Past.  Care. 


232  LECTURE  XXIV. 

come,  to  depart  and  be  with  Christ,  and  to  exhort, 
them  to  make  reparation  to  such  as  they  may  have, 
in  any  manner  of  way,  wronged  ;  to  forgive  any  who 
may  have  wronged  them  ;  to  make  a  pious,  just,  and 
charitable  disposal  of  all  their  worldly  affairs ;  to  de- 
clare their  experience  of  the  goodness  and  faith- 
fulness of  their  covenant-God;  and  to  recommend 
the  choice  which  they  have  made  to  those  whom  they 
leave  behind  them. 

If  such  as  thought  themselves  dying,  should,  at 
any  time,  recover,  it  is  our  business  to  remind  them 
of  any  vows,  promises,  or  resolutions  they  may  have 
made  (as  is  usually  the  case)  in  the  time  of  their 
sickness,  that  their  future  life  may  show  the  sincerity 
of  their  professions,  and  bring  forth  the  fruits  of 
righteousness,  which,  if  they  fail  to  do,  we  must  ad- 
monish and  reprove  them,  and,  if  need  be,  denounce 
the  judgments  of  God  against  them ;  so  shall  we 
save,  if  not  their  souls,  at  least  our  own. 

And  if  the  afflictions  of  the  body  call  for  our  sym- 
pathy and  aid,  my  brethren,  how  much  more  do  the 
afflictions  and  distresses  of  the  soul !  These  are  hea- 
viest in  themselves  ;  for  the  spirit  of  a  man  may  bear 
his  infirmities,  but  a  wounded  spirit,  who  can  bear  9 
Yet  these  generally  meet  with  the  least  sympathy  and 
pity  from  the  world.  Alas  !  instead  of  pity,  the 
world  is  too  often  disposed  to  treat  the  poor  sufferer 
with  contempt  and  scorn ;  or,  at  best,  to  prescribe 
such  medicines  as  serve  rather  to  fester  than  to  heal 
his  wounds.  Thus,  some  send  for  music,  as  Saul  did 
for  a  harper,  when  the  evil  spirit  vexes  with  tempta- 
tions. Hence  the  necessity  lies  the  stronger  upon  us, 
who  ought  to  be  physicians  of  the  soul,  to  show  all 
tenderness  and  pity,  to  examine  into  the  nature  of 
the  disease,  and  (if  it  falls  within  our  province,  and 
is  not  the  effect  of  bodily  distemper)  to  apply  the 
proper  remedy. 


LECTURE  XXIV.  233 

But  where  is  this  remedy  to  be  found  ?  I  answer, 
in  the  word  of  God  only,  and  more  particularly  in 
the  promises  of  scripture,  and  in  the  experiences  of 
the  saints  therein  recorded.  Of  every  tiling  else  pre- 
scribed by  the  world  for  the  ease  of  a  wounded  con- 
science, such  as,  mirth,  company,  and  amusements, 
we  may  say,  as  Job  did  of  his  friends,  Miserable 
comforters  arc  they  all.  But  to  apply  properly  the 
remedies  contained  in  scripture,  requires  much  pru- 
dence and  skill  in  the  spiritual  physician.  An  awa- 
kened conscience  is  a  powerful  casuist,  and  needs  of- 
ten all  the  knowledge  which  we  can  derive  from  ca- 
suistical divinity,  from  practice,  and  experience,  as 
well  as  a  deep  insight  into  human  nature,  and  a  tho- 
rough acquaintance  with  the  word  of  God,  in  order 
to  satisfy  all  it's  queries,  and  solve  all  it's  doubtings. 
[ndeed,  sometimes  the  case  is  otherwise,  and  very 
weak  things  may  trouble  a  weak  christian.  But,  even 
then,  it  is  our  part  to  regard  these  lesser  scruples  of  a 
tender  conscience  with  the  utmost  condescension, 
sympathy,  and  mildness.  It  is  our  part  to  calm  the 
troubled  mind,  to  appease  the  timorous  conscience, 
and  to  communicate  consolations  to  the  afflicted  soul, 
that  wishes  to  be  instructed,  guided,  comforted,  and 
established.  To  such,  it  is  our  part  to  represent  the 
truth,  in  a  manner  so  clear,  and  strong,  and  affection- 
ate, as  to  open  the  heart  both  to  conviction  and  con- 
solation. We  ought  to  imitate  him  who  never  broke 
the  bruised  reed,  nor  quenched  the  smoking  flax. — 
We  ought,  like  him,  to  bind  up  that  which  is  broken 
in  sjnrit,  and  to  strengthen  that  'which  is  weak  and  ex- 
ercised with  temptations.  Yes,  we  ought,  like  the 
Great  Shepherd,  to  carry  the  lambs  in  our  bosom,  by 
showing  the  most  affectionate  regard  to  the  young 
and  timid  convert,  and  to  lead  gently  those  that  are 
with  young,  in  whom  the  work  of  grace  is  no  more 
than  forming,  and  whose  hearts  are  greatly  oppressed 
with  doubts  and  difficulties.     And,  to  do  all  this  as 

F  f 


234  l.LXTUUE  X.\!V. 

we  ought,  what  skill,  and  prudence,  and  patience, 
and  diligence,  and,  above  all,  what  bowels  of  com- 
passion,  and  tender  affection,  arc  required  !  Who  is 
sufficient  for  these  things  !  Or  who,  indeed,  could 
attempt  these,  and  all  the  other  difficulties  of  our  of- 
fice, if  we  had  not  the  promise  of  the  Spirit  of  God 
to  aid  us  ? 

Notwithstanding  this  great  and  precious  promise, 
however,  it  is  to  be  feared,  that  some  of  us  may  not 
set  about  these  duties  so  cheerfully  as  we  ought,  since 
the  labour  which  they  infer  is  so  weighty.  But,  if 
they  infer  labour,  take  up  time,  deprive  us  of  inno- 
cent amusements,  and  interrupt  our  studies,  yet  this 
is  the  business  which  we  have  deliberately  chosen, 
which  we  have  vowed  to  perform,  and  to  which  we 
were  solemnly  devoted.  And,  if  there  is  much  of 
the  duty  left  to  our  own  consciences  (as  no  laws  can 
reach  to  every  particular  case),  we  ought,  on  that 
account,  if  we  have  any  ingenuousness,  to  discharge 
it  the  more  willingly  and  faithfully,  and,  on  all  oc- 
casions, study  more  to  fulfil  than  to  evade  our  duty. 
For,  if  we  do  no  more  than  what  we  may  be  com- 
pelled to  do,  and  only  make  a  fashion  of  doing  what, 
for  shame,  we  cannot  omit,  we  must  look  but  for 
little  success  in  this  world,  and  for  no  reward  in  the 
other.  In  either  world,  every  thing  that  is  truly- 
good  is  to  be  attained  only  by  diligence  and  labour. 
This  is  the  price  whieh  God  hath  put  upon  every 
thing  that  is  truly  valuable. 

But  that  labour,  my  brethren,  which  we  dread  so 
much  in  discharging  this  part  of  our  duty,  may  be 
greatly  lessened,  if  a  minister  carries  on  his  pastoral 
visits,  and  his  catcchisings,  at  the  same  time,  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  his  cure.  By  this  mean,  not  only  a 
due  interval  will  be  kept  between  these  exercises,  in 
the  same  place,  but  much  of  the  visiting  of  the  siek 
will  fall  in  his  way,  on  his  catechising  or  visiting- 
days. 


LECTURE    XXIV.  235 

Besides  the  labour  which  attends  this  part  of  our 
duty,  it  will  perhaps  be  urged  by  such  as  wish  to 
avoid  it,  that  it  exposes  to  much  danger,  especially 
in  the  case  of  visiting  persons  who  are  afflicted  with 
infectious  diseases.  In  regard  to  this,  after  observ- 
ing, that  our  great  pattern  went  straight  from  the 
service  of  the  sanctuary  to  the  family  that  had  the 
fever,*  I  shall  do  little  more  than  repeat  the  words 
of  one  who  spent  a  great  part  of  his  life  and  fortune, 
in  doing  that,  from  choice,  which  we  are  called  to 
do  from  duty.  "  I  have  been  frequently  asked, 
"  (says  the  heavenly  Howard,  whose  humanity  led 
"  him  to  visit  most  of  the  jails  in  Europe,)  I  have 
w  been  frequently  asked,  what  precautions  I  use  to 
"  preserve  myself  from  infection  in  the  prisons  and 
u  hospitals  which  I  visit  ?  I  here  answer,  next  to 
"  the  free  goodness  and  mercy  of  the  author  of  my 
"  being,  temperance  and  cleanliness  are  my  chief 
u  preservatives.  Trusting  in  the  divine  providence, 
"  and  believing  myself  in  the  way  of  my  duty,  I 
"  visit  the  most  noxious  cells ;  and,  while  thus  em- 
"  ployed,  I  fear  no  evil.  I  never  enter  an  hospital 
n  or  prison  before  breakfast ;  and,  in  an  offensive 
"  room,  I  seldom  draw  my  breath  deeply."  When 
God  and  duty  calls  us,  my  brethren,  we  may  safely 
go  any  where,  and  trust  to  him,  who  sends  us,  for 
protection.  u  If  I  were  obliged,"  says  Luther,  "  to 
a  encounter,  at  W&rmes,  as  many  devils  as  there  are 
"  tiles  on  the  houses  of  that  city,  this  would  not  de- 
66  ter  me  from  appearing  there,  when  I  go  at  the 
"  call  of  duty  and  religion."  la  obedience  to  this 
call,  the  Jewish  priests,  without  fear,  visited  even  the 
lepers. t  I  am  ashamed  to  say  more.  Yonder  the 
physician  goes  to  the  hospital. 

in  like  manner,  should  we,  my  brethren,  perform 
our  duty,  and  trust  the  consequence  to  God.     Our 

*  Mark  i.  29.  50.  1  Lev.  xiii.  &xiv.  and  P sal.   xc'i 


£36  LECTURE   XXIV. 

times  are  in  his  hands,  and  neither  death  nor  dis- 
ease can  touch  us,  without  his  permission.  Rabb1 
Simeon  ben  Chalaph,  a  priest  of  awful  sanctity,  was 
invited  to  the  banquet  which  a  wealthy  Jew  made  at 
the  circumcision  of  his  son.  The  richest  and  the 
oldest  wines  were  served,  and  the  heart  of  the  father 
was  glad.  "  Rejoice  with  me,  my  friends,"  said  he, 
u  till  my  old  age,  my  wine  and  my  son  shall  cheer 
"  me."  The  feast  was  protracted  beyond  the  mid- 
night hour  ;  but  Rabbi  Simeon  withdrew  in  the  twi- 
light. On  his  way  home,  he  met  the  angel  of  death, 
with  his  countenance  clouded  with  sorrow.  "  Why 
"  art  thou  so  sad,"  said  Simeon,  "  seeing  thou  art 
•<  the  mersenger  of  Jehovah  ?"  i(  I  am  grieved,"  re- 
plied the  angel,  "  at  the  foolish  conversation  of  mor- 
(i  tals,  who  promise  to  themselves  long  life,  when 
"  their  days  are  already  numbered.  The  man  with 
"  whom  you  just  now  parted,  as  he  said,  '  till  my 
"  old  age,  my  wine  and  my  son  shall  cheer  me,'  in 
?  three  days  must  die."  "  Sad  indeed,"  said  Sime- 
Ci  on  ;  but  tell  me,  I  beseech  thee,  when  art  thou  to 
"  come  for  me  ?"  "  Over  thee,  and  the  like  of 
"  thee,"  said  the  angel  of  death,  "  I  have  no  power  ; 
'•  for  your  times  are  in  the  hands  of  God  himself  ; 
"  and,  in  consideration  of  the  good  works  in  which 
€l  you  abound,  and  in  which  he  delights,  he  often 
M  protracts  your  lives,  in  despite  of  every  danger,  and 
"  over  you  extends  his  own  pavilion."* 

Independent,  indeed,  of  this  particular  providence, 
which  guards  the  good,  those  exalted,  exquisite,  and 
most  refined  pleasures,  which  attend  upon  the  exer- 
cise of  beneficence,  and  that  cheerfulness  of  spirits,  and 
strong  hope  of  immortality,  which  result  from  a 
consciousness  of  having  done  one's  duty,  and  of  be- 
ing in  favour  with  God,  are,  in  the  highest  degree, 
conducive  to  health,  and   of  wonderful  efficacy  in 

*  Yid.  Elleh  haddabh.  rak.  ap,  Lightfoot;  Hor.Heb. 


LECTURE  XXIV.  237 

bearing  up  a  faithful  minister,  under  all  the  toil  and 
burden  of  his  office.  Besides,  a  spirit  ardently  in- 
tent on  the  pursuit  of  great  and  noble  objects,  is  ele- 
vated above  those  cankering  cares,  and  guilty  fears, 
which  usually  prey  upon  the  vitals,  and  both  increase 
the  miseries,  and  lessen  the  measure,  of  the  days  of 
man. 

But,  the  greatest  encouragement  of  all  to  the  dis- 
charge of  every  part  of  our  office,  is  the  promise  of 
the  divine  presence  and  assistance,  so  peculiarly 
made  to  the  servants  of  God  in  the  holy  ministry. 
And,  if  God  be  with  us,  can  any  thing  be  too  hard 
for  us  ?  No  ;  through  Christ  strengthening  us,  we 
can  do  all  things.  Hence  those  wonders  of  doing 
and  of  suffering,  which  the  most  faithful  servants  of 
God  have,  in  all  ages,  been  enabled  to  go  through. 
They  found  the  powers  of  the  soul  expand  in  pro- 
portion to  the  objects  which  it  had  to  compass,  when 
conscious  of  the  goodness  of  their  cause,  insomuch 
that  the  world  has  often  been  astonished  at  what  this 
true  enthusiasm  has  been  able  to  perform.  What  then 
should  discourage  us  in  a  service  in  which  we  have 
such  present  pleasures,  such  future  prospects,  such 
great  and  precious  promises,  that  as  our  day  so  shall 
our  strength  be,  and  such  a  cloud  of  witnesses  to  whom 
these  promises  have,  in  all  ages,  been  fulfilled. 

So  much  for  that  part  of  our  daily  duty  which  re- 
lates to  visiting  the  sick.  We  next  proceed  to  speak 
of  that  discipline  and  order,  which,  as  apart  of  his 
office,  a  minister  ought  to  maintain  among  his  people. 


LECTURE  XXV. 

The  subject  of Daily  Duties, —  Continued, 
IV.  DISCIPLINE,  &c. 

PRIVATE  admonition  is  the  first  and  most  ne- 
cessary part  of  discipline,  and,  if  duly  exercised 
u  as  need  may  require  and  as  occasion  may  be  giv- 
*  en,"  there  would  seldom  be  any  necessity  of  pro 
ceeding  farther.  Every  faithful  minister,  therefore, 
will  make  conscience  of  this  part  of  his  duty,  and 
administer  admonition,  exhortation,  and  reproof  to 
all  within  his  cure,  as  prudence  may  direct,  and  as 
their  respective  circumstances  may  require,  that  he 
may  thus  "  maintain  and  set  forward,  as  much  as 
"  lieth  in  him,  quietness,  and  peace,  and  love,  among 
"  all  christian  people,  and  especially  among  those  of 
his  own  cure/'*  And  this  he  must  do  without  re- 
spect of  persons.  He  must  not,  through  a  mistaken 
tenderness  for  some,  or  from  a  fear  of  incurring  the 
displeasure  of  others,  allow  any  to  live  without 
due  censure,  in  the  open  practice  of  scandalous  crimes, 
when  he  ought  to  rebuke  them  with  authority,  that  o- 
fhers  also  may  fear.  At  the  same  time,  he  ought  to 
do  all  this  without  any  unnecessary  severity,  or  any 
offence  to  good  manners.  Reproof,  like  physic, 
should  be  so  sweetened  and  prepared,  as  to  be  made 
palatable  ;  otherwise  corrupt  nature  will  reject  it, 
however  salutary  it  may  be.  As  it  was  in  the  ark  of 
the  tabernacle  of  old,  the  manna  and  the  rod  must  go 
together,  t 


*  Liturgy  of  the  Church  of  England 
a 
ccdinis. 


t  In  area  tabernaculierant  virga  correctionis,  manna  dul- 


LECTURE*  XXV.  ~3# 

in  no  part  of  our  duty,  ray  brethren,  is  it  necessa 
?y  to  shew  your  love  and  meekness  more  than  in 
private  admonitions  ;  lest  you  should  provoke  when 
you  wish  to  reform.  You  must  therelore  deal  with 
the  offenders,  not  only  with  the  opportunity  and 
earnestness  which  beeomes  a  man  employed  on  the 
part  of  God,  but  also  with  the  tender  love  of  a  pa- 
rent for  the  soul  of  his  ehild.  You  must  commend 
where  you  can  ;  blame  where  you  must.  Show  that 
you  are  always  more  concerned  than  angry.  Re- 
present no  fault  as  greater  than  it  really  is  ;  and  rea- 
dily admit  of  excuses  for  the  past,  when  accompani- 
ed witli  promises  of  amendment  for  the  future.  De- 
light more  to  caution  than  reprove,  andr  above  all, 
encourage  and  exhort. 

Our  admonitions,  my  brethren,  ought  not  only  to 
be  given  in  private,  but  kept  private  also  ;  that  it  may 
appear  to  the  admonished  that  they  have  proceeded 
from  a  sense  of  duty,  a  tender  regard  to  their  persons, 
and  a  strong  love  to  their  souls.  Then  may  we  hope 
that  the  seed  thus  sown  shall,  sooner  or  later,  spring 
up  in  their  hearts,  and  that  the  happy  fruits  of  it  will 
appear  in  their  better  conduct.  Sometimes,  indeed, 
our  labour  may  be  lost ;  but  then  we  have  clone  our 
duty,  and  our  judgment  is  with  our  God.  Some- 
times, too,  the  case  may  be  so  forbidding,  that  to  of- 
fer our  admonitions  would  be  imprudent.  But  this 
will  happen  but  rarely,  if  we  watch  every  favoura- 
ble opportunity,  while  any  hope  may  be  left  us. 
Much  of  tlie  sueeesb  of  our  admonitions  depends  on 
the  manner  and  time  in  which  we  give  them. 

When  private  admonitions  have  no  effect,  and  a 
person's  sins  are  public  and  scandalous,  his  minister 
ought  not  only  to  deny  him  sealing  ordinances,  which 
probably  he  may  not  think  of  asking,  but  if  he  con- 
tinue contumacious,  ought  to  follow  the  method  di- 
rected by  the  church,  to  make  sinners  ashamed,  and 
to  separate  such  from  holy  things,  til!  they  have  edi- 


240  LECTURE    XXV. 

fied  the  ehurch  a$  much  by  their  repentance  and  the 
outward  profession  of  it,  as  they  had  formerly  scan- 
dalized it  by  their  disorders.  By  this  means  he  will- 
observe  the  rule  appointed  by  Christ  in  his  church, 
of  regarding  as  heathens  those  who  will  not  listen  to 
our  admonitions,  of  noting  those  who  walk  disorder- 
ly, of  separating  ourselves  from  them,  of  having  no 
fellowship  with  them,  no,  not  so  much  as  to  eat  tvith 
ihtm.  To  the  last  expedient,  however,  of  extruding 
them  from  the  communion  of  the  faithful,  in  solemn 
form,  we  must  have  recourse  but  very  seldom.  Ex- 
communication is  of  too  awful  a  nature  to  be  made 
too  common  or  familiar.  For  my  own  part,  I  hope 
God  will  enable  me  to  discharge  my  duty  with  faith- 
fulness, without  ever  using  so  desperate  a  remedy. 
In  nothing,  my  brethren,  do  we  need  more  prudence 
than  in  using  the  power  of  the  keys. 

"  The  admonishing  of  men  of  rank,  who  set  an 
Si  ill  example  to  others,  ought  always  to  be  done  in 
"  that  way  which  will  probably  have  the  best  effect 
Ci  on  them.  Therefore  it  must  be  done  secretly,  and 
44  with  expressions  of  tenderness  and  respect  for  their 
••  persons.  Fit  times  are  to  be  chosen  for  this;  and 
"  it  may  be  often  the  best  way  to  do  it  by  a  letter  ; 
"  for  there  may  be  ways  fallen  upon  of  reproving 
"  the  worst  men  in  so  soft  a  manner,  that  if  they 
"  are  not  reclaimed,  yet  they  shall  not  be  irritated  or 
"  made  worse  by  it ;  which  is  but  too  often  the  case 
"  of  an  idiscreet  reproof.  By  this  means  the  mini- 
"  ster  may  save  the  sinner's  soul  :  he  is  at  least  sure 
■«  to  save  his  own,    by  having  discharged  his  duty,"* 

Besides  endeavouring  to  reform  the  wicked,  our 
admonitions  will  further  aim  at  stiiring  up  the  negli- 
gent to  more  care,  and  at  making  the  good  them- 
selves more  eminent  in  piety  and  virtue.  And  if  we 
are  careful  to  embrace  every  opportunity  of  doing  so 

*  Burnet's  Past.  Care. 


LECTURE  XXV.  241 

with  prudence,  we  shall  have  no  cause  to  complain 
of  the  want  of  success.  The  mean  is  in  itself  so 
likely,  that  the  best  and  greatest  of  the  heathen  mo- 
ralists assiduously  practised  it,  as  the  most  promising 
method  to  effect  a  reformation.  "  It  has  been  the 
"  custom  of  my  life,  (says  Socrates*  to  the  men  o.f 
"  Athens)  to  be  taking  you  aside,  one  after  another, 

*  like  a  father  or  an  elder  brother,  and  to  be  inces- 

*  santly  exhorting  you  to  apply  yourselves  to  virtue  ; 
"  as  I  take  it  God  has  pitched  upon  me  for  this  very 
"  purpose."  A  speech  worthy  of  the  notice,  and  an 
example  worthy  of  the  imitation  of  every  faithful 
minister  of  the  gospel. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  observe,  that  the  duties 
now  mentioned  cannot  be  performed  by  a  minister 
without  residing  constantly  among  his  people,  and 
attending  daily  to  his  charge.  It  is  required  of  all 
those  to  whom  the  care  of  souls  is  committed,  that 
they  take  heed  to  themselves  and  to  ail  the  flock  over 
whom  the  Holy  Ghost  hath  made  them  overseers, 
that  they  govern  well  the  church  of  God,  which  he 
hath  purchased  with  his  own  blood ;  that  they  watch, 
and  labour,  and  fulfil  their  ministry ;  all  which  they 
cannot  do,  if  as  hirelings,  they  forsake  the  flock 
committed  to  them,  and  do  not  watch  over  those 
sheep,  whose  blood  will  be  required  at  their  hands 
tit  the  last  day.  For  it  is  certain,  that  no  excuse  will 
be  received  if  the  wolf  devours  the  sheep,  when  the 
shepherd  does  not  attend  them.t  It  is  also  required 
of  those  to  whom  the  care  of  souls  is  committed,  to 
know  their  sheep,  to  feed  them  by  the  word  of  God, 
by  the  administration  of  the  sacraments,  by  the  ex- 
ample of  a  good  life,  by  administering  consolation 

*  In  his  Apology, 
t  Act.  Concii.  Trid.  Sess.  6.  and  Sess.  23.  &c     "  It  is  or. 
**  dained,  That  ministers,  non-resid#nts  at  their  flocks*  he 
*'  deprived."     Act.  Assemh.  1638. 

Gg 


242  LECTURE  XXV. 

admonition,  and  reproof,  to  the  sick,  and  to  the  whok 
within  their  care,  as  occasion  shall  be  given.  It  is 
required  of  them  to  hold  up  the  weak,  heal  the 
wounded,  bind  up  the  broken,  bring  again  the  out- 
casts, seek  the  lost.  In  a  word,  it  is  required  of  them, 
to  lay  themselves  out  in  all  the  functions  of  their  mi- 
nistry. Now  all  this  cannot  be  performed  by  those 
who  do  not  watch  over  their  floek?  and  reside  with 
it  as  constantly  as  possible  ;  much  less  by  those  who 
unwarrantably,  and  for  filthy  lucre's  sake,  take  up- 
on them  more  charges  than  one  at  once.  Ah !  my 
brethren,  if  we,  who  by  our  exhortations  teach 
others  to  set  their  affections  on  things  above,  show, 
in  this  manner,  that  our  own  chief  desire  is  to  acquire 
wealth  and  worldly  honour,  to  seek  after  company 
and  amusement  abroad,  or  even  to  enjoy  ourselves 
in  indolence  at  home,  our  condemnation  must  be 
as  dreadful  as  our  guilt  is  aggravated.  "  We  are  al- 
"  lowed  accommodation  and  subsistence  in  our 
"  charge,  to  enable  us  to  reside  with  our  people  con- 
"  stantly,  that  we  may  know  them  thoroughly,  and 
"  consequently  speak  to  them  suitably  ;  that  our  pre- 
"  sence  may  awe  the  bad  and  encourage  the  good ; 
"  and  that  we  may  lay  hold  of  every  opportunity 
"  that  offers,  to  minister  advice  and  comfort  to  the 
"  sick  and  afflicted,  relief  to  the  needy,  instruction 
"  to  the  ignorant,  and  friendly  offices  to  all,  as  need 
"  shall  require  and  occasion  be  given.  This  is  what 
6i  we  owe  to  our  flocks,  and  what  we  owe  to  our 
"  Lord ;  and  the  present  peace  and  final  comfort  of 
"  our  souls  depend  on  our  never  neglecting  it,  on  any 
"  plea  but  such  as  our  conscience  assures  us  will  be 
"  sustained  at  the  tribunal  of  Christ.  There  our  di- 
"  ligence  and  zeal  will  be  the  condition  of  our  ac- 
* '  ceptance,  and  the  measure  of  these  the  measure 
"  of  our  reward.  If  we  content  ourselves  with  a 
M  partial  discharge  of  our  duty,  and,  by  absence* 
"  or  indolence,  or  amusement,  or  business,  or  even 


LECTURE   XXV.  243 

k  studies,  are  lost  to  our  people,  or  worse  than  lost 
v '  to  them  by  any  levity  or  imprudence,  our  presence 
* !  will  be  of  little  avail.  But  this  is  no  excuse  for 
"  absence,  but  a  strong  reason  for  being  active  and 
"  useful,  as  well  as  for  being  present."* 

Let  no  minister,  therefore,  imagine  that  he  may 
at  any  time  absent  himself  from  his  charge,  his  sin- 
gle charge,  without  such  an  excuse  as  he  may  be 
able  to  plead  before  God  in  judgment.  Nor  let  him 
suppose  that  it  is  enough,  if  he  be  present,  to  perform 
the  stated  and  occasional  duties  of  his  office.  "  The 
*'  stated  and  occasional  duties!  Good  God!  Is  this 
"  our  care,  our  anxious  concern  for  the  souls  of  those 
"  of  whom  we  are  to  give  an  account  to  our  Redeem- 
"  er?  How  many  occasions  do  we  thus  lose,  where 
"  a  single  word,  perhaps,  might  rescue  a  poor  wretch 
"  from  sin  and  misery!  (for  a  single  word  will  of- 
"  ten  encourage  the  good,  check  the  bad,  support 
■■■  the  weak,  and  resolve  the  doubting.)  And  where 
«'  is  the  influence  of  our  example  !"t 

In  short  my  brethren,  nothing  else  will  save  us, 
than  to  labour  diligently  in  God's  vineyard,  from  first 
to  last,  for  the  good  of  souls.  J     All  this,  it  is  true, 

*  Archbishop  Seeker's  Charge, 
t  Bishop  Bagot's  Charge,  1784. 
$  «*  Stewards,  watchmen,  shepherds,  labourers,  these  and  ev- 
'•«  ery  other  expression  that  implies  personal  attention,  unre- 
e*  mitted  assiduity,  vigilance,  and  fidelity,  are  applied  to 
"  you  in  scripture.  You  are  commanded,  before  God  and 
««  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  to  be  instant,  in  season  and  out  of 
(f  season,  to  reprove,  rebuke,  exhort,  with  all  long-suffering 
"  and  doctrine  ;  to  watch  in  all  things  ;  to  do  the  work  of 
'*  an  evangelist,  and  make  full  proof  of  your  ministry." 
And  the  ordination  office  enjoins,  "  That  you  never  cease 
•'  your  labour,  your  care,  and  diligence,  until  you  have 
"  done  all  that  lieth  in  you,  according  to  your  bounden  duty. 


$4i  LECTURE  XXV. 

cannot  be  accomplished  without  the  most  unremitting 
diligence  and  pains.  But  this  will  seem  no  hard  mat- 
ter to  such  as  have  a  right  sense  of  their  ordination 
vows,  of  the  value  of  souls  and,  of  the  dignity  of 
their  office.  Their  heart  is  in  their  work,  and  the 
love  which  they  bear  to  it  will  make  every  part  of  it 
appear  a  pleasure  rather  than  a  burden.  They  would 
not  exchange  it,  with  all  their  toils,  for  any  station 
power,  profit  or  honour,  among  mortals.  Nor  none 
of  them  can  compare  with  ours,  in  point  of  either 
present  pleasures  or  future  prospects,  if  we  acquit 
ourselves  as  becomes  our  character.  Why  then 
should  we  make  any  account  of  our  labour  ?  u  In  all 
Ci  other  professions,  those  who  follow  them  labour 
"  in  them  all  the  year  long,  and  are  hard  at  their 
"  business  everyday  of  the  week,  and  almost  every 
u  hour  of  the  day.  Indeed,  there  is  no  trade  or 
"  course  of  life,  that  does  not  take  up  the  whole 
"  man  ;  and  shall  ours  only  bean  exception  ?  Ours, 
"  that  is  the  noblest  of  all,  and  that  has  a  certain 
"  subsistence  fixed  to  it,  and  does  not  live  by  con- 
"  tingencies  and  hopes,  as  all  others  do  ;  and  shall 
"  we  make  the  labouring  in  our  business  an  objec- 

t(  to  bring  all  such  as  are,  or  shall  be  committed  to  your 
'*  charge,  unto  that  agreement  in  the  faith  and  knowledge 
*s  of  God,  and  that  ripeness  and  perfectness  of  aid  in  Christ 
"  that  there  be  no  place  left  among  you,  either   for  error 
"  in  religion,  or  viciousness  in  life." 

"  These  are  all  of  them  evidently  personal  duties ;  and  it 
'*  is  to  my  conception  utterly  impossible  for  any  man,  who 
"  seriously  believes  that  he  must  give  an  account  of  his  steiv- 
"  ardship  at  the  last  day,  to  read  such  injunctions  as  these, 
"  and  then  render  himself  incapable  of  fulfilling  them,  by 
•'  absenting  himself  from  his  cure,  seeking  amusement  or 
"  employment  elsewhere,  and  trusting  to  another  for  the  dis- 
"  charge  of  duties  which  belong  solely  and  entirely  to  him- 
**  self"     Bishop  Bcilby's  Charge,  1  7Q0. 


LECTURE  XXV.  #45 

*<  tion  against  any  part  of  our  duty  F*  Ought  we 
not  to  have  laid  our  account  with  all  this  labour 
when  we  entered  upon  the  office  of  the  holy  minis- 
try ?  We  then  undertook  a  charge,  which  the  scrip- 
tures frequently  compare  to  whatever  requires  most 
labour,  as  well  as  most  care  and  diligence  among 
mankind.  We  undertook  an  office  compared,  indeed, 
from  it's  dignity,  to  that  of  rulers,  ambassadors,  and 
even  angels  ;  while  the  names  of  builders,  labour- 
ers, and  soldiers,  and  the  significant  emblem  of  our 
Lord's  washing  the  feet  of  his  disciples,  show  the  ne- 
cessity of  incessant  labour,  and  of  descending  to  the 
meanest  offices  of  charity  for  our  brethren.  We  un- 
dertook to  be  guides,  instructors,  pastors,  watchmen, 
stewards,  to  that  people  over  whom  the  Holy  Ghost 
hath  made  us  overseers.  We  have,  under  Christ,  un- 
dertaken to  lead  a  band  of  his  soldiers  against  prin- 
cipalities, and  powers,  and  spiritual  wickednesses  in 
high  places.  We  must  go  before  them  in  the  sharp- 
est conflicts  ;  we  must  acquaint  them  with  all  the 
stratagems  and  assaults  of  their  enemies,  we  must 
watch  ourselves,  and  keep  them  watching,  for  if  we 
neglect  this,  both  they  and  we  together  may  perish. 
And  then  how  shall  we  answer  it  to  Christ  at  the 
last  day,  when  he  calls  us  to  account  for  those  souls 
which  he  purchased  with  his  precious  blood  !  How 
shall  we  face  our  people,  when  we  meet  them  at  his 
tribunal  ?  Or  how  can  we  hope  to  be  saved,  if  only 
one  soul  through  our  neglect  has  perished  ? 

"  I  confess  (said  a  faithful  servant  of  God)  that 
"  I  seldom  hear  the  bell  toll  for  one  that  is  dead, 
"  but  conscience  asks  me,  what  hast  thou  done  for 
"  the  saving  of  that  soul  before  it  left  the  body? 
u  There  is  one  more  gone  into  eternity,  what  didst 
■'  thou  to  prepare  him  for  it?  and  what  testimony 
u  must  he  give  to  the  judge  concerning  thee  ?  Such 

*  Burnet's  Past.  Care. 


246  LECTURE  XXV. 

"questions  will  naturally  occur,  at  such  a  time,  to 
"  every  minister,  whose  conscience  has  not  lost  all 
u  feeling  and  tenderness.  When  one  of  our  flock 
u  passes  the  awful  line  of  separation,  or  when  we  are 
"  laying  his  remains  in  the  chamber  of  darkness,  how 
a  can  we  help  reflecting  with  ourselves,  and  saying, 
"  here  lies  the  body,  but  where  is  the  soul  ?  What 
u  did  I  for  it  before  it  departed  ?  It  wa«  part  of  my 
u  charge,  what  account  can  I  give  of  it  to  God?"*  To 
enable  us  to  give  our  account  with  joy,  and  not  with 
grief,  we  ought,  my  brethren,  to  labour  in  our  min- 
istry day  and  night,  with  unremitting  ardour  ;  consi- 
dering that  many  of  the  souls  under  our  charge  may, 
alas  !  in  a  few  days  be  out  of  our  reach,  and  for  ever 
fixed  in  heaven  or  hell.  How  should  this  considera- 
tion teach  us  to  improve  every  moment,  and  to  grasp 
eagerly  at  every  opportunity  of  doing  them  all  the 
good  we  can  ?  especially  when  we  consider  how  ma- 
ny things  there  are  in  one  soul  that  need  our  notice  ; 
bow  many  such  souls  we  have  to  do  with  ;  how  ig- 
norant the  most  of  them  are  in  things  of  everlasting 
moment :  and,  what  is  still  worse,  how  unwilling 
they  are  to  learn  them  ;  and  that  we  can  speak  to 
them  perhaps  but  once  for  fifty  or  a  hundred  times 
that  they  are  addressed  by  the  emissaries  of  Satan  ! 
What  activity,  industry,  and  zeal,  must  we  have  to 
go  through  our  labours !  What  firmness  of  mind  to 
support  us  under  all  the  difficulties  and  trials  of  our 
calling  !  And  what  need  of  earnest  prayers  for  the 
Spirit  of  God  to  help  us  ! 

Seeing,  therefore  our  office  requires  the  most  in- 
cessant diligence,  how  dreadful  and  aggravated  will 
our  final  condemnation  be,  if  souls  under  our  mini 
£try  perish  by  our  neglecting  any  part  of  the  great 
work  which  we  have  undertaken !  "Our  parents 
ik  who  destined  us  for  the  ministry  ;  our  tutors  who 


Baxter's  Reformed  Pastor; 


LECTURE  XXV.  247 

•c  taught  us  for  it  ;  our  learning  and  ministerial  gifts  ; 
"  our  voluntary  undertaking  the  care  of  souls;  aM 
u  the  care  of  God  for  his  church  ;  all  that  Christ 
1  hath  done  and  suffered  for  it  ;  all  the  precepts, 
"  promises  and  threatenings  of  the  holy  scriptures  ; 
"  all  the  examples  of  prophets,  apostles  and  preach 
"  ers  there  recorded  ;  ail  the  books  in  our  study 
"  which  tells  us  of  our  duty,  or  any  way  assist  us  ir* 
"  it,  all  will  rise  in  judgment  against  us  !  Ail  the  ser- 
cc  mons  which  we  have  preached  to  convince  men 
a  of  the  danger  of  sinr  of  the  torments  of  hell,  of 
a  the  joys  of  heaven  ;  to  quicken  them  in  their  du- 
c<  ty,  or  reprove  their  neglect ;  all  the  maintenance 
u  we  take  for  our  service  ;  all  the  honour  we  re- 
"  ceive  from  the  people  ;  all  the  ministerial  privile- 
"  ges  we  enjoy  ;  all  the  witness  we  have  borne  to 
"  the  neglect  of  our  ministers ;  all  the  judgments  and 
"  mercies  of  God  with  which  we  have  been  acquaint- 

*  ed  ;  all  the  fervent  prayers  of  God's  people,  which 
"  were  offered  on  our  account ;  and,  finally,  all  our 

*  own  vows,  promises,  and  resolutions,  for  diligence 
■'  in  our  work,  will,  at  the  last  great  day,  aggravate 
"  our  condemnation,  if  we  are  found  unfaithful  in 
"  our  Master's  service."* 

Such  awful  considerations,  my  brethren,  may 
alarm  us,  if  softer  motives  will  not  allure  us,  to 
our  duty.  But,  as  I  would  hope  that  these  last  may 
have  a  considerable  influence  upon  the  best  and  most 
ingenuous  part  of  our  nature,  I  shall  here  suggest  a 
few  of  them,  in  the  words  of  an  excellent  perform  - 
ance,  cited  on  several  occasions  already.  "  Let  u.5 
"  consider   our  respective    congregations,    my   bre- 

*  thren,  in  the  nearest  and  most  interesting  point 
"  of  light,  even  as  a  certain  portion  of  our  fellow- 
u  travellers,  committed  to  our  care,  through  this 
*'  journey  of  human  life,  and,  by  appointment  of  pro- 

*  Baxter's  Reformed  Pastor. 


248  LECTURE   XX* 

*  vidence,  especially  entrusted  to  us  (or  direction,  as- 
"  sistance,  and  consolation.  When  we  view  our  peo- 
"  pie  in  this  new  and  endearing  relation,  as  depend 
"  ing  on  us  for  instruction  when  ignorant,  for  help 
"  when  distressed,  and  for  comfort  when  afflicted, 
"  we  must  be  very  insensible  if  we  do  not  feel  a  new 
"  flow  of  good  will  towards  them,  a  strong  inelina- 

*  tion  to  enter  into  their  concerns,  to  take  their 
"  pains  and  their  feelings  upon  us,  and  to  watch  for 
"  opportunities  of  doing  them  good.  What  though 
"  kind  offices  among  them  should  take  up  much 
<c  time,  require  much  pains,  put  us  to  much  real  trou- 
"  ble  and  inconvenience,  rob  us  of  many  agreeable 
"  amusements,  and  greatly  interrupt  delightful  and 
4 'useful  studies  !  A  just  sense  of  the  important  rela- 
4<  tion  in  which  we  stand  to  our  respective  flocks, 
•"'  and  a  genuine  feeling  of  that  tender  affection 
"  which  is  due  to  them,  will  not  allow  us  to  hesitate 
<l  one  moment,  whether  that  part  of  our  time  is  most 
((  worthily  employed,  which  is  taken  up  in  doing  real 
u  offices  of  friendship  among  them;  or  that  part  of 
"  it  which  is  spent  in  perusing  the  finest  writings  of 
"  the  greatest  geniuses  that  ever  appeared  in  the 
•'  world;  or  in  polishing  any  little  compositions  of 
"  our  own.  Is  the  arranging  of  words,  the  measur- 
••  ing  periods,  the  beautifying  of  language,  or  even 
"  storing  our  own  minds  with  the  divinest  senti-. 
"  ments,  an  employment  of  equal  dignity  and  im 
"  portance  in  itself,  or  equally  pleasant)  on  reflec 
•'  tion,  with  that  of  composing  differences,  extin- 
•'  guishing  animosities,  searching  out  modest  indigent 
"  merit,  and  relieving  it,  giving  counsel  to  a  perplex- 
"  ed  mind,  suspending  pain  by  our  sympathy  and 
"  presence,  though  it  were  but  for  a  moment,  sug- 
<f  gestingto  an  unfurnished  mind  proper  materials  lor 
*'•  meditation  in  the  time  of  distress,  or  laying  hold  of 
"  a  favourable  opportunity  of  conveying  valuable  in* 
«'  structions,  and  religious  impressions,  to  a  mind 


LECTURE  XXV.  249 

ct  little  susceptible  of  them  on  other  occasions?  There 
"  is  no  need  of  saying  any  thing  in  confirmation  of 
"  this  ;  it  was  the  glorious  character  of  Jesus,  that 
66  he  went  about  doing  good."* 

To  conclude,  my  brethren,  let  us  make  the  inter- 
est of  our  people  our  own.  Let  their  advancement 
in  knowledge  and  holiness  be  our  honour,  their 
consolation  our  joy,  their  prosperity  or  adversity  our 
pleasure  or  pain.  Let  all  we  are,  all  we  have,  be 
devoted,  as  much  as  possible,  to  their  service.  In  a 
word,  let  us  live  only  for  Christ  and  his  church  ;  and 
in  his  service,  if  called  to  it,  let  us  rejoice  to  die.  Let 
us  reckon,  with  the  apostle,  not  even  our  life  dear, 
provided  we  accomplish  the  ministry  we  have  re- 
ceived from  the  Lord.  Happy  the  pastor  who  is 
thus  devoted  to  his  charge  !  To  him  every  labour  is 
sweet,  every  toil  is  pleasant.  His  whole  life  is  one  la- 
bour of  love,  and  his  death  an  entrance  into  heaven  ! 

#  LeecJjman's  Syn.  Serm, 


ii  h 


LECTURE  XXVr. 

Of  the  Domestic  Duties,  or  Family  Religion,  of  a  Mi- 
nister of  the  Gospel. 

HAVING  enumerated  some  of  the  daily  duties  ©f 
a  minister  in  his  parish,  I  might  now  speak  of  those 
which,  in  common  with  all  other  good  christians, 
he  ought  to  discharge  in  the  closet  and  family.  But, 
of  the  first  of  these,  what  has  been  already  said  on 
the  subject  of  prayer,  may  at  present  suffice  ;  and, 
instead  of  delineating  the  last,  I  shall  only  relate  the 
following  narrative,  which  I  had,  of  the  daily  prac- 
tice of  the  venerable  and  aged  Theophilus,  from 
one  who  had  spent  a  day  or  two  in  his  family.  "  As 
' ', I  approached  his  house  in  the  evening,  I  heard,  as  I 
u  drew  near,  the  voice  of  psalms.  The  family  were 
u  engaged  in  worship,  and  so  intent  on  their  devo- 
"  tions,  that  I  joined  them,  I  believe,  without  being 
"  observed.  The  singing  continued  long  enough  to 
"  animate,  but  not  to  tire.  A  portion  of  scripture 
"  was  then  read,  with  a  solemnity  and  emphasis  be- 
"  coming  the  word  of  God.  On  this  the  saint  made 
"  a  few  short,  but  pertinent  reflections  and  practical 
"  improvements,  as  soon  as  he  had  done.  He  also 
"  introduced  much  of  what  he  had  read  into  the  de- 
"  voutand  fervent  prayer  which  ensued,  during  which 
«  the  whole  family  kneeled,  but  did  not  lean.  The 
"  whole  was  closed  with  an  evening  hymn,  and  the 
"  Gloria  Patri,  at  which,  as  in  the  singing  of  psalms, 
"the  most  of  them,  I  think,  stood,  (deeming  this, 
u  I  suppose,  the  most  reverent  posture  in  addressing 
"and  praising  God,)  while  their  hands,  eyes,  and, 
*  I  am  persuaded,  their  hearts  too,  were  lifted  up  t© 


LECTURE   XXVI.  251 

"  heaven.  I  thought  I  perceived  every  one  repeat- 
"  ing  the  words  under  his  breath,  and  giving  a  hear- 
"  ty  assent  to  every  petition      This,  perhaps,  con- 

*  tributed  to  make  them  more  serious  and  attentive. 
u  Worship  being  ended,  the  saint  gave  me  the  right 

*'  hand  of  fellowship,  and  discoursed  of  various  sub- 
jects, in  a  heavenly  and  edifying  manner,  suited  to 
"  his  profession,  to  his  years,  and  to  his  near  hopes. 
"  A  temperate  and  frugal  meal  was  then  served,  on 
rt  which  the  saint,  standing  up,  and  raising  his  hands 

*  and  eyes  to  heaven,  implored  the  divine  blessing, 
"  with  a  solemn  audible  voice,  and  of  a  length  becom- 
w  ing  a  joint  and  serious  act  of  devotion.  With  the 
"  like  exercise  the  meal  was  closed,  and  the  family, 
*'  with  many  pious  ejaculations,  went  to  take  their 
"  repose  for  the  night.  Their  private  devotions,  which 
u  they  performed  by  turns,  as  each  had  opportunity, 
"  were,  as  I  understand,  all  over  before  suppejr,  when 
u  the  faculties  are  less  subject  to  drowsiness  and  dis- 
"  traction,  and  therefore  the  fitter  for  a  spiritual  ser- 

*  vice. 

"  As  the  day  ended,  so  it  began,  with  God. — 
"  Each,  as  he  rose  next  morning,  betook  himself 
€t  to  private  devotions;  and,  some  time  afterwards, 
e(  the  whole  joined  in  family  worship,  before  they 
"  sat  down  to  their  morning  meal.  After  a  solemn 
"  pause,  a  few  words,  by  way  of  sursum  corda,  and 
'«*  a  pious  ejaculation  to  God  for  aid  and  acceptance, 
«<  the  service  proceeded  in  the  same  order  as  on  the 
"  preceding  night.  The  hymns,  on  both  occasions, 
"  were  adapted  to  christian  worship,  as  well  as  to 
"  the  particular  season  ;  not  unlike  those  of  Bishop 
11  Kenn,  part  of  whose  midnight  hymn  also,  as  I 
u  thought,  occupied  some  moments,  which  were,  at 
*'  the  midnight  season,  stolen  from  sleep,  and  added 
"  to  the  great  purpose  of  existence,  the  promoting  of 
"  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  preparing  for  the  eternal 
<•  enjoyment  of  him  in  heaven. 


252  LECTURE   XXVI. 


"  The  morning  meal  was  conducted  in  the  same 
"  manner  as  that  of  the  evening;  and,  as  I  was 
"  urged  to  stay  for  a  day  or  two,  I  now  prepared  to 
**  accompany  Theophilus  in  the  course  of  his  daily 
"  duty,  after  he  should  spend,  as  usual,  an  hour  or 
"  two  in  his  study  or  closet.  The  catechising  of 
"  about  twenty  persons,  in  a  neighbouring  farm, 
"  was  the  principal  business  of  the  day,  and  took 
"  up  between  two  and  three  hours.  This  exercise 
u  began  with  psalms  and  prayers  ;  after  which  the 
"  individuals  of  each  family  were  examined  in  order, 
u  their  proficiency  marked  in  the  margin  of  the  list, 
"  and  their  attention  respectively  directed  to  what- 
"  ever  points  of  necessary  knowledge  they  were  found 
"  to  be  deficient  in,  or  required  their  first  and  great- 
"  est  care.  Such  as  were  desirous,  and  found  quali- 
"  fied  to  communicate,  received  tickets  of  admission, 
"  with  suitable  advices  ;  and  to  the  young  were  pre- 
"  scribed  tasks  of  hymns,  psalms,  and  prayers.  A 
<c  general  exhortation,  joined  with  a  hymn  and  pray- 
"  er,  closed  this  part  of  the  day's  business,  which 
<c  was  all  performed  in  a  lively,  earnest,  and  solemn 
"  manner.  True  devotion  has  in  it  something  so  en- 
"  gaging,  that  I  believe  the  profane,  in  hearing  such 
"  impressive  and  pathetic  exhortations,  would,  in 
"  spite  of  their  nature,  be  devout. 

"  The  visiting  of  a  sick  person,  on  our  way  home, 
4C  occupied  some  time  afterwards.  The  person  was 
"  a  noviciate  or  candidate  for  holy  orders,  so  far 
"  gone  in  a  consumption,  as  to  be  seemingly  near  his 
"end,  and  1  believe,  more  than  seemingly  prepared 
"  for  the  event.  When  we  entered,  his  face,  like  that 
"  of  Ilezekiah,  was  turned  to  the  wall,  and,  like  him 
"  too,  he  was  praying,  but  not  for  an  addition  of 
"  years  or  days  to  his  life.  He  had  been  repeating, 
"  as  I  understood,  from  what  I  overheard  of  it,  part 
"  of  Hildeberfs  Orcctio  ad  Dominion,  [which,  in  case 


LECTURE  XXVI. 


235 


you  may  not  have  seen  it,  I  hereto  subjoin  in 
a  note*.] 

"  The  conference,  and  the  consequent  prayer  of 
these  two  saints,  both  so  near  heaven,  were  suffi- 
cient to  convince  any  one,  that  it  is  better  to  go 
to  the  house  of  mourning,  than  to  the  house  of 
feasting.  I  never  before  understood  so  wrell  the 
meaning  of  the  apostle's  triumphant  song',  O 
Death,  where  is  thy  siing !  0  Grave,  where  is  thy 
victory  /' 

"  An  hour  or  more  of  the  latter  part  of  the  day 
was  spent  by  Theophilus  in  his  favourite  and  only 
amusement,  of  cultivating  a  small  spot  of  his  gar- 
den, which  he  did  occasionally,  more  for  the  pur- 
pose of  promoting  health  than  labour.  In  the 
evening,  as  in  the  morning,  a  considerable  portion 
of  time  wras  spent  in  private  devotion  and  study, 
which,  after  a   little  interval,    was  succeeded  by 


#  "Tu  intrare  me  non  sinas 
f*  Infernales  officinas  ; 
"  Ubi  mceror,  ubi  metus, 
"  Ubi  fcetor,  ubi  fletus  ; 
"  Ubi  probra  deteguntur, 
'"  Ubi  rei  confunduntur ; 
'•'  Ubi  tortor  semper.coedens, 
"  Ubi  vermis  semper  edens ; 
ft  Ubi  totum  hoc  perenne, 
"  Quia  perpes  mors  Gehennas. 

"  Me  receptet  Sion  ilia, 
"  Sion  David  urbs  tranquilla  ; 
•'  Cujus  Faber  auctor  lucis  , 
"  Cujus  porta  signum  crucis  ; 
"  Cujus  clavis  lingua  Petri, 
"  Cujus  cives  semper  laeti  ; 
•'  Cujus  muri  lapis  vivus, 
"  Cujus  custos  rexfestivus. 

"  In  hac  urbe  lux  solemnis, 

'*  Veraiternum,  paxperennis; 

tf  In  hac,  odor  implensccelos, 

"  In  hac,  festum  semper  me- 

"  los. 


"  Non  est  ibi  corruptela, 
Non  delectus,  non  querela  : 
Non  minuti,  non  deformes, 
Omnes  Christo  sunt  confor- 

"  mes, 
<e  Urbs  coelestis,  urbs  beata! 
Super  petram  collocata. 
Urbs  in  portu  satis  tuto  ! 
De  longinquo  te  saluto  : 
— Te  saluto,  te  suspiro, 
Te  affecto,  te  require 
"  Quantum  tui  gratulentur  ! 
Quam  festive  conviventur  1 
Quis  affectus  eos  stringat, 
Aut  quae  gemma  muroscin- 

"  gat, 
QuisChalcedon,  quis  Jacin- 

"  tus, 
— Norunt  illi  qui  sunt  intus. 
"  In  plateis  hujus  urbis, 
Sociatur  piis  turbis. 
Cum  Moise  et  Elija 
Pium  can  tern  Alleluja  I" 


254  LECTURE   XXYI. 

"  the  worship  of  the  family,  in  the  manner  describ- 
"  ed  before.  And,  as  the  next  day  was  the  Sabbath, 
46  the  preparation  for  it  began,  by  adjusting  the  af- 
"  fairs  of  the  family  a  little  sooner,  and  making  the 
"  devotions  more  particular  in  regard  to  it.  On  this 
u  evening,   too,    a  general  retrospect  was  taken  of 

*  the  week,  as  well  as  of  the  day,  and  the  younger 

*  and  more  ignorant  of  the  family  examined  as  to 
"  their    progress  in  religious  knowledge,    especially 

*  in  those  matters  which  had  been  more  particular- 
4i  ]y  recommended  to  their  attention. 

*«  On  the  Sabbath  morning,  Theophilus  and  all 
"  the  family  were  up  earlier  than  on  other  days, 
*'  in  order  to  have  more  time  for  the  exercise  of 
41  reading,  meditation,  prayer,  private  and  domes- 
*'  tic,  and  the  other  duties  of  that  sacred  day,  the 
*(  most  important  of  the  seven.  A  solemn  stillness 
et  filled  the  house,  a  sacred  joy  reigned  in  every 
•'  countenance,  and  the  call  to  public  worship,  by 
"  the  tolling  of  a  bell  when  the  time  arrived,  was 
il  cheerfully  obeyed  by  all.  On  entering  the  church, 
46  every  one  seemed  sensible  of  treading  on  sacred 
ground,  and  discovered  the  most  awful  respect 
for  the  great  invisible  Being  whom  they  believed 
to  be  in  that  place  peculiarly  present,  and  whom 
they  came  thither  to  worship.  Each,  before  he 
took  his  seat,  put  up  a  short  silent  prayer  to  God 
<f  for  assistance,  acceptance,  and  a  blessing. 

"  When  the  people  were  assembled,  and  sufficient- 
a  ly  composed,  the  door  was  shut  to  prevent  any  dis- 
a  traction  or  disturbance  from  stragglers,  or  others, 
u  whose  indifference  to  the  sendee  might  hinder  their 
"  attendance  in  due  time.  Theophilus  then,  in  a 
u  few  words,  called  the  attention  of  the  congrega- 
"  tion  to  the  great  and  solemn  work  in  which  they 
*<  were  about  to  engage, — prayer  and  praise  to  God. 
"  He  then  sung  a  hymn  or  psalm,  in  which  the  con- 
Ci  gregation  joined,  in  a  standing  posture,  with  coun- 


lecture  xxvi.  255 

u  tenances  filled  with  a  mixture  of  cheerfulness  and 
u  awe.  A  pause  ensued,  and  then  a  prayer.  A  por- 
u  tion  of  scripture  was  next  read,  on  which  the  mi- 
"  nister  made  but  few  observations.  Indeed,  the  sa- 
"  cred  scriptures  seldom  nee$  many  to  make  them 
"  sufficiently  intelligible.     We  mix  too  much  of  our 

*  own  alloy  with  the  pure  and  precious  word  of 
«  God. 

"  After  this  was  administered  the  sacrament  of 
,(  Baptism,  with  a  solemnity  and  particularity  of 
"  engagement  that  could  neither  be  lightly  thought 
•*  of  nor  soon  forgotten.  Theophilus  then,  after 
"  having  again  sung  and  prayed,  addressed  his  hear- 
•c  ers  at  some  length,  by  teaching  some  doctrine  or 
*'  inculcating  some  duty.  But  this  part  of  the  ser- 
94  vice,  as  1  was  told,  he  would  on  some  rare  occa* 
"  sions  omit,  that  they  might  always  consider  the 
4'  worship  of  God,  in  prayer,  and  praise,  and  read 
M  ing  the  scriptures,  as  the  principal  end  of  their 
••  meeting.  A  fourth  prayer,  also  accompanied  with 
"  psalms,  succeeded  this  discourse,  and  the  people 
M  were  dismissed  with  the  usual  apostolic  beneci 
•'  tion.  Of  the  first  prayer,  the  greater  part  cc 
**  sisted  of  ascriptions  of  praise,  and  a  craving  of 
st  aid  and  acceptance.  The  second  related  to  a  con- 
"  fession  of  sin,  and  petitions  for  pardon  and  sanc- 
({  tification.  The  third,  a  thanksgiving,  more  espe- 
"  cially  for  Christ  and  the  gracious  benefits  of  hie 
*'  gospel.  The  fourth  was  more  general  and  inter- 
"  cessory.  The  hymns  were  suitable  to  the  prayers, 
'•  and  the  last  ended  with  the  Gloria  Pain,  or  doxo- 
"  logy. 

"  Immediately  after  public  worship  was  ended,  the 
"  communicants  of  that  part  of  the  parish  which  were 

*  on  that  day  to  partake  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  re- 
"  paired  to  the  communion  table,  after  tiie  rest  of 
a  the  congregation  was  dismissed.  I  must  observe, 
a  that  the  parish  being  large,  w**  divided  into  four 


2<50  LELTURE   XXVI, 

4  parts ;  to  one  or  other  of  which,  in  rotation,  thi* 
'  sacrament  was  administered  on  the  first  Sabbath 
i  of  every  month  (whether  in  allusion  to  the  three 
1  great  feasts  of  the  Jews,  or  not,  I  will  not  pretend 
«  to  say.)     By  this  means,  however,  all  had  an  op- 

*  portunity  of  communicating  thrice  in  every  year ; 

<  and  the  quarter,  whose  turn  it  was  to  communicate 
(  next,  was  always  that  in  which  the  minister  had 
'  either  his  course  of  pastoral  visits,  or  catechising 
'  the  month  before  ;  that  he  might  thus  have  an 
'  opportunity  of  addressing  every  person  suitably, 
e  and  personally,  while  he  gave  them  tokens,  or 
'  tickets  of  admission,  to  that  sacred  ordinance  ; 
4  and  especially  of  examining  and  confirming  the 
1  young  with  a  view  to  it.     By  this  method  there 

<  was  never  occasion  for  any  assistant  to  dispense  the 
'  sacrament,  and  there  was  never  any  bustle,  or 
'  crowd  to  occasion  any  disturbance  or  distraction  \ 
1  as  too  often  happens  when  this  sacrament  is  admi- 
'  nistered  but  seldom,  and  ministers  and  congrega- 
'  tions  crowd  to  it,  as  to  a  fair,  from  neighbouring 
1  places.  In  such  mixed  and  disorderly  crowd* 
c  there  can  be  little  devotion ;  and  no  body  would 
'  think  it  the  fittest  place  for  recollecting  their  obli- 
'  gations  to  a  dear  departed  relative. 

"  After  a  few  words  on  the  nature  and  end  of 

*  the  ordinance,  and  the  dispositions  of  soul  with 
'  which  it  should  be  gone  about,  the  words  of  the 

<  institution  were  read,  and  the  elements  consecrat- 
'  ed  and  handed  about  from  one  end  of  the  table 

<  to  the  other,  each,  in  his  order,  participating  as 
'  they  went  along,    the  dispenser  having  done  so 

*  first.  During  the  communion,  a  solemn  and  ex- 
'  pressive  silence  reigned.  Theophilus  spoke  not  a 
:  word,  save  the  single  sentence  which  usually  ac- 
i  companies  the  delivery  of  the  elements.  But  af- 
4  ter  the  act  .was    over,     he  gave  a  few    cxhorta- 

*  tions  f  with  the  same  earnestness  and  solemnity 


LECTURE    XXVI.  257 

"  with  which  he  performed  all  the  other  parts  of 
"  the  service  of  the  sanctuary,  and  accompanied 
u  them  with  a  suitable  prayer,  or  rather  thanks - 
cC  giving,  hymn,  and   benediction. 

"  In  holiness,  usefulness,  and  happiness,  Theophi- 
"  lus  lives  on  earth  such  a  life  as  I  conceive  the  an- 
"  ods  live  in  heaven.  Blessed  is  thai  servant  whom 
"  his  mastr,  when  he  comet h,  shall  fmd  so  doing! 
<c  Would  to  God  we  were  all  like  him,  that  we 
"  might  stand  in  his  lot  on  the  last  day  V7 


I  i 


LE&TURE  XXVII. 
Of  the  relaxations  of  a  Minister  of  the  Gospel. 

MUCH,  my  brethren,  has  been  said  about  the  va 
nous  duties  of  our  office,  and  much  might  be  added 
still.  But  I  think  I  already  hear  some  brother  of  a 
light  or  a  lazy  turn  of  mind,  ask,  "  Is  there  no  dis- 
charge at  aWfrom  this  warfare;  is  there  no  respite  at 
all  from  duty  ?  Has  a  minister  no  time  allowed  him 
for  relaxation  from  the  important  work  in  which  he 
is  engaged,  or  for  sharing  in  the  amusements  and  re- 
creations of  the  world  ? 

Sorry  should  I  be,  my  brother,  to  refuse  you  any 
thing  that  may  be  truly  good  for  you.  Exercise  and 
recreation  in  such  a  measure  as  your  office  may  ad- 
mit, and  your  health  require,  are  not  forbidden. 
But  then,  this  exercise  should  be  such  as  suits  your 
character.  It  should  be  manly,  decent,  and  grave  \ 
and  should  possess  neither  your  mind  nor  your  time 
too  much,  nor  have  any  thing  in  it  that  may  preju- 
dice your  people  against  you.  For  whatever  would 
offend  them  would,  at  the  same  time,  hurt  your  use- 
fulness ;  and,  therefore,  though  in  itself  indifferent  or 
lawful,  would  in  you  be  highly  criminal.  The  apos- 
tle's reasoning  on  another  subject  is  equally  applica- 
ble to  this,  and  his  exhortation  much  to  the  purpose. 
Take  heed,  lest  by f  any  means  this  liberty  of  yours  be- 
come a  stumbling  block  to  them  that  are  weak.  For  if 
ye  wound  their  weak  consciences,  ye  sin  against  Christ. 
With  him,  therefore,  we  should  resolve  to  abstain 
from  all  such  things  while  the  wvrldstandeth* 

*  XCor.  viii.  8— IS, 


LfeCtURE   XXVIT.  259 

Do  you,  my  brother,  regularly  visit  and  catechise 
your  people  ?  If  you  do,  this  of  itself  is  abundant 
exercise.  But,  should  you  wish  for  more,  and  find  it 
requisite  for  your  health  to  have  it  (which  will  rarely 
be  the  case,)*  let  it  be  of  the  character  already  men- 
tioned, and  taken  in  great  moderation,  that  no  body 
may  have  cause  to  suspect  that  any  thing  but  health  ts 
your  object.  Let  it  also  be  in  proper  company.  When 
Alexander  was  asked  if  he  would  run  in  the  Olym- 
pic games  ;  yes,  answered  he,  if  I  may  have  kings 
to  run  with  me. 

To  correct  any  bad  tendency  arising  from  a  studi- 
ous and  sedentary  life,  should  be  the  eud  of  our  re- 
creations ;  and  therefore  such  amusements  only  as 
contribute  to  give  exercise  to  the  body,  while  they 
relieve  the  mmd,  will  be  of  any  use  to  us.  Gaming, 
and  plays,  or,  in  other  words,  dice,  cards,  and  attend- 
ance on  the  theatre,  and  such  other  amusements  as 
serve  only  to  waste  the  time,  poison  the  mind,  or 
ruffle  the  temper,  are  to  be  carefully  shunned  by  us. 
They  answer  many  a  bad  purpose,  and  no  good 
one.  They  are  unsuitable  to  our  profession,  as  am- 
bassadors of  Christ,  and  unsuitable  to  our  charac- 
ter, as  ?nen  of  God.  They  might  perhaps  render  us 
at  times  more  agreeable  to  a  few  of  the  thoughtless 
and  profane,  who  may  wish  to  have  us  no  better  than 

*  "  Though  I  have  a  body  that  hath  languished  under  ma- 
"  ny  weaknesses  for  many  years,  and  my  diseases  have  been 
"  such  as  require  as  much  exercise  as  almost  any  in  the 
**  world,  and  I  have  found  exercise  the  principal  means  of 
"  my  preservation  till  now,  and  therefore  have  as  muchrea- 
"  son  to  plead  for  it  as  any  man  that  I  know  alive,  yet  I  have 
•*  found,  that  an  hour,  or  half  an  hour's  walk  before  meat, 
"  hath  been  blessed  to  my  preservation.  A  nd  I  do  not  know 
"  one  minister  of  an  hundred,  that  needeth  so  much  as  my 
*s  self*"  Baxter's  Reformed  Pastor. 


260  LECTURE  XXVII. 

themselves  ;  but  would  certainly  tend  to  degrade  us 
in  the  opinion  of  every  considerate  and  pious  person, 
Nay,  let  us  ask  ourselves,  if  our  high  esteem  of  the 
character  of  Isaiah,  St.  Paul,  or  any  other  prophet  or 
apostle,  would  not  be  greatly  lowered,  if  it  were  re 
corded  of  them,  that  they  excelled  in  the  dance  or 
song,  or  were  given  to  such  diversions  as  dice,  and 
cards,  and  attendance  on  the  theatre  ?  At  any  rate, 
we  are  members  of  a  society,  whose  laws  do  wisely 
forbid  all  such  diversions  :*  And  these  laws  our  or- 
dination vows  have  strictly  bound  us  to  obey. 

*  '*  Sic  decet  omnino  clericos  in  fortcm  Domini  vocatos 
'*  vitam  moresque  suos  omnes  componere,  ut  habitu,  gestu, 
"  incessu,  sermone,  aliisque  omnibus  rebus,  nil  nisi  grave 
**  moderatum,  et  religione  plenum,  pras  se  ferant.  Levia 
ts  etiam  delicta  (quae  in  ipsis  maxima  essent)  eflugiant,  ut 
**  eprum  actiones  cunctis  afferant  venerationem.  Statuit 
"  sancta  synodus,  ut  quae  alias  a  summis  pontificibus  et  a 
**  sacris  conciliis,  de  clericorum  vita,  honestate,  cultu  doc- 
"  trinaque  retinenda,  ac  simul  de  luxu,  commessationibus, 
**  choreis,  aleis,  ac  quibuscunque  criminibus,  nee  non  se- 
u  cularibusnegotiis  fugiendis,  copiose,  ac  salubriter  sancita 
'*  fuerunt,  eadem  in  posterum,  iisdem  poenis,  vel  majoribus, 
"  arbitrio  ordinarii  imponendis,  observentur  :  nee  appella- 
te  tio  executionem  hanc,  quae  ad  mornm  correctionem  perti- 
**  net,  suspendat."     Cortcil.  Trid.  Sess.  22.  c.  1. 

"  Episcopus  aut  Presbyter  seeulares  curas  non  adsumefc  • 
**  alioqui  deponatur."     Canon.  J  post.  6. 

"  Non  sint  compotores,  non  aleatores,  non  aucupes,  non 
,(  venatores,  non  sycophants?,  non  otiosi  aut  supiui,  sed 
**  sacrarumliterarurn  studiis,  et  prredicationi  verbi,  et  ora* 
<r  tionibus  pro  ecclesia,  Doininum  diligenter  incumbant." 
Reform.  Leg-  Eccles.  Angl.  Anno  1571. 

"  Deformatur  honestas,  cum  clericus  se  immiscet  in  nego- 
te  tiis  secularibus.  Item,  intendo  mimiset  joculaiibus.  Item, 
(t  tabernas    ingrediendo,  nisi  tempore  itineris.     Item,   ad 


LECTURE    XXVIIr  261 

That  all  such  amusements  as  these  are,  at  all  times 
and  to  all  persons,  either  unlawful  or  inexpedient,  I 
do  dot  say.  But  that  they  are  often  so  to  many,  and 
always  so  to  some,  cannot  easily  be  denied.  EvTery 
one,  therefore,  especially  of  us,  who  takes  a  share  in 
them,  should  consider  seriously  the  nature  and  ten- 
dency of  what  he  is  doing.  Such  amusements  may 
not,  perhaps,  incline  you,  my  brother,  to  passionate, 
much  less  profane  expressions  ;  they  do  not,  perhaps, 
agitate  your  mind,  sour  your  temper,  or  waste  your 
spirits  ;  they  do  not  tempt  you,  perhaps,  to  any  sort 
or  degree  of  unfairness,  which  might  weaken  the 
moral  sense,  be  the  occasion  ever  so  trilling.  But 
sec  if  they  make  you  not  mix  with  company,  if  not 
dangerous  to  you,  at  least  unsuitable  :  See  if  they  do 
not  devour  more  time  than  is  consistent  with  a  due 
attention  to  the  business  of  your  station,  public  or 
private,  or  to  the  regular  order  of  your  family  :  See 
if  they  do  not  take  up  any  part  of  the  time  which 
ought,  or  at  least  might  be  spent  to  better  purpose, 
in  a  religious  recollection  of  your  ways,  or  any  other 
improvement  of  your  own  soul,  or  those  of  others,  in 
piety  and  virtue.  These  amusements  may  not,  per- 
haps, carry  you  the  length  they  do  many  others,  to 
consume  a  greater  part  of  your  income,  than  justice 

is  aleas  et  taxillos  ludendo,  vel  eisdem  interessendo.  Item* 
"  quoctinque  ornatu  superfluo  utendo/'  Lindwood de  vi  el  ho- 
nest. Clerici. 

"  It  is  ordained,  That  such  as  are  light  and  wanton  in  their 
"  behaviour  ;  as  in  gorgeous  and  light  apparel,  in  speech,  in 
»«  using  light  and  profane  company  ;  unlawful -gaming,  as 
«*  dancing,  carding,  dicing,  and  such  like,  not  beseeming  the 
,f  gravity  of  a  pastor,  be  sharply  rebuked,  and,  continuing 
"  therein,  be  deposed."  Act.  Assemb.  1638. 

On  reading  these  acts,  every  pious  brother  will  say,  as  St. 
Jerome  on  a  similar  occasion,  "  Ken  de  lege  queror,  eed  do 
"  leo  cur  banc  legem  meruerimus." 


262  LECTURE  XXVIT4  ' 

to  your  creditors,  to  your  family,  and  to  the  poor, 
will  allow.  Even  say  they  should  cost  you  nothing  ; 
yet  see  if  they  do  not  engage  your  heart,  and  that  a 
fondness  for  them  does  not  grow  upon  you  ;  see  if 
they  do  not  lower  your  character,  and  lessen  your 
usefulness  and  ability  of  doing  good  in  the  world. 
Or,  suppose  what  can  hardly  or  never  be  the  case, 
that  they  do  yourself  no  harm  at  all,  yet,  if  by  your 
means  they  do  harm  to  others,  enticing  the  well- 
meaning,  by  your  example,  to  any  thing,  which,  in  it- 
self, or  in  their  circumstances,  may  be  either  unlaw- 
ful or  unwise,  you  are,  without  question,  much  to  be 
blamed,  and  likely  to  be  a  partaker  of  other  men'3 
sins.  So  that,  all  things  impartially  considered,  you 
will  see  that  there  is  an  absolute  necessity,  if  you 
would  keep  yourself  free  from  guilt,  to  abstain  en- 
tirely from  such  amusements  as  these,  which,  to  your- 
self or  others,  may  be  productive  of  so  much  evil.* 

Whatever  approaches  the  vanities  and  disorders  of 
the  world,  should  be  avoided  by  us,  who  ought  not 
to  be  conformed  to  the  world,  but  rather  transform* 
ed  from  it.  Yes,  the  amusements  of  the  world,  with 
all  it's  business,  it's  labours,  and  it's  cares,  ought  all 
to  be  given  up  by  us,  unless  we  mean  to  give  up  our 
profession,  and  to  be  lovers  of  business,  or  of  pleasure* 
more  than  lovers  of  God.  What  are  these,  may 
Christ  say  to  his  minister,  what  are  these  to  thee  ? 
Follow  iJwu  me.  Be  going  about  doing  good,  and  you 
are  at  once  in  the  exercise  both  of  duty  and  amuse- 
ment. Relax,  at  times,  the  mind  from  graver  studies, 
by  reading  the  historians  and  poets,  by  seeking  more 
knowledge  in  any  science  that  may  be  connected 
with,  or  subservient  to  your  office,  by  applying  that 
knowledge  to  the  purposes  of  life,  by  advancing  the 
temporal,  and  especially  the  eternal  interests  of  man- 
kind.    Such  amusement,  in  subordination  and  sub 

*  See  Archbishop  Seeker's  Sermons,  Vol.  III. 


LECTURE    XXVII.  251 

serviency  to  the  duties  of  your  calling,  is  rational  and 
becoming  ;  and  more,  if  you  wish,  or  rather  if  you 
need  it,  may  be  had  from  the  conversation  of  selecfc 
friends,  and  from  your  garden,  which  may  have 
some  share  of  your  time,  when  your  study  and  your 
parish  will  admit  it. 

This  much,  rny  brethren,  our  Master  and  our  bu- 
siness allow  us,  and  with  this  we  ought  to  hold  our- 
selves contented  and  thankful.  In  other  religions, 
the  infatuated  ministers  spend  whole  years  in  the 
most  painful  and  unremitting  exercise  of  what  they 
conceive  to  be  duty,  though  they  want  the  grace 
which  we  have  to  support  them,  and  the  prospects 
which  we  have  to  cheer  them.  It  is  now  above 
twenty  years,  since  a  disciple  of  Brama,  as  I  have 
been  told  by  those  who  saw  him,  has  been  holding 
up  his  right  arm  in  the  same  position.  How  easy, 
in  comparison  of  this,  is  the  whole  amount  of  du- 
ty required  of  us,  who  are  called  to  bear  a  yoke  so 
easy,  and  a  burden  so  light,  that  it  would  be  consi- 
dered as  no  more  than  relaxation  by  Abukeker  the 
Bramin.* 

Yes,  my  brethren,  as  much  relaxation  as  nature 
requires,  is  happily  furnished  by  our  business,  and 
we  should  do  well  to  consider  if  any  more  becomes 
us.  If  we  must  have  more,  we  should  not  have  thrust 
ourselves  into  that  calling,  which  requires  us  to  make 
God  and  his  work  our  business  and  our  pleasure. 
Can  we  indeed  see  so  many  souls  perishing  around  us? 
needing  our  assistance,  and  death  giving  no  respite, 
and  can  we  think  of  amusement,  and  relaxation  ! 
Can  we  think  of  the  joy,  or  torment,  to  which  some 
of  them  are  every  moment  entering,  of  the  shortness 
of  the  time  which  we  and  they  must  be  together,  and 

*  "  In  christian  hearts,  O  for  a  pagan  zeal  ! 
"  A  needful,  but  opprobrious  pray'r  !   As  much 
"  Our  ardour  less,  as  greater  15  our  light  l"        You^c-. 


264  UXTUUK   XXVII. 

can  we,  under  the  impression  of  such  thoughts,  seek 
or  think  of  recreation  !  May  a  physician  seek  his  re- 
creation, when  the  plage  is  raging  around  him,  and 
his  patients  daily  and  hourly  dying  of  the  distemper? 
No,  my  brethren  ;  nor  shall  we,  if  we  think  of  the 
value  of  souls,  of  their  imminent  danger,  and  of  the 
urgent  nature  of  our  errand.  This  urgency  is  strong- 
ly represented  by  our  Saviour's  charge  to  his  first 
missionaries,  not  to  lose  of  precious  time  so  much  as 
to  wait  to  salute  those  who  should  meet  them  by  the 
way.*  A  life  so  busy  as  ours  ought  to  be,  has  sel- 
dom any  room  for  recreation.  Nay,  we  should  even 
take  as  little  rest  as  possible,  either  to  body  or  to  soul. 
The  body  will  soon  get  enough  of  it  in  the  grave, 
and  for  the  soul,  there  remaineth  a  rest  with  God,  if 

we  are  diligent  in  the  discharge  of  our  dutv. 

•  i*   i 

Diversions   and   amusements,    then,   are  so  little 

suited  to  our  office,  that  we  may  perhaps  be  con- 
sidered as  acting  out  of  character,  when  at  any  time 
we  partake  of  them.  If  a  church,  or  altar,  consecra- 
ted to  sacred  uses,  would  be  profaned  by  being  con- 
verted to  a  theatre,  or  stage  for  acting  plays  or  sports, 
as  the  sacred  cups  of  the  temple  at  the  impious  feast 
of  Belshazzar,  how  can  the  priest  himself,  who  is  in  a. 
more  solemn  manner  consecrated  and  devoted  to  God, 
be  otherwise  than  polluted,  by  partaking  of  those  di- 
versions, by  which  we  should  consider  even  metal, 
timber,  and  stone  as  profaned  ?  We  should  therefore 
remember  that  we  are  consecrated  persons,  and  that 
even  things  that  may  not  be  sinful  in  others,  are  far 
from  becoming  in  us ;  to  whom  things  even  innocent 
and  lawful  may  not  always  be  expedient.  We  should 
not  satisfy  ourselves  with  avoiding  the  things  that 
are  forbidden,  but  strive  to  do  the  things  that  are  com- 
manded.    We  should  not  consider  what  God  may 


*  Luke  x-  4: 


LECTURE  XXVII.  265 

forgive,  but  what  he  will  approve  ;  and  study  not 
only  to  escape  censure  and  punishment,  but  to  obtain 
his  praise  and  reward.  And  whether  tlvs  may  be 
expected  from  any  diversion  or  amusement,  be  you, 
my  brethren,  judges. 

We  are,  besides,  to  consider  ourselvestas  persons  in 
whom  the  Holy  Ghost  resides  ;  and  in  relation  to 
this,  we  ought  frequently  to  consider  what  we  do, 
as  well  as  what  we  are.  And  we  should  do  wrell  to 
consider,  if  any  diversion  or  amusement  be  a  likely 
way  to  invite  his  presence,  or  make  him  delight  to 
dwell  with  us.  If  these  be  not  sinful  in  their  nature, 
yet  they  may  be  vain  and  foolish,  and  therefore  un- 
suitable to  our  character,  and  incompatible  with  the 
presence  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  In  this,  does  the  Spi- 
rit lead  me?  For  this,  does  the  spirit  love  me?  By 
this,  am  I  inviting  and  improving  his  holy  inspira- 
tions ?  By  such  questions,  it  will  be  our  wisdom  to 
try  our  ways  and  our  doings. 

Look,  my  brethren,  to  your  predecessors  and  your 
models,  the  prophets  and  apostles  of  the  Lord,  and 
see  if  the  love  of  diversions  and  amusements  were 
spots  in  their  character.  Or,  consider  the  fatigues 
and  hardships  just  now  endured  by  your  brethren, 
who  preach  the  gospel  in  heathen  countries  and  in 
foreign  climes.  They  have  forsaken  father,  and  mo- 
ther, and  brother,  and  friend,  and  hold  their  lives 
every  hour  in  jeopardy.  And  will  not  you,  free 
from  these  hardships,  seek  pleasure  and  delight,  not 
in  vain  amusements,  but  in  serving  God  with  glad- 
ness, for  making  your  duty  so  much  easier,  and  mak- 
ing your  lines  to  fall  in  more  pleasant  places?  Think 
also  of  the  multitudes  who  are  doomed  to  toil  and 
slave  daily  from  morning  to  night,  in  order  to  obtain 
a  scanty  and  precarious  subsistence ;  and  then  think, 
if  kind  providence  hath  exempted  you  from  these 
hardships,  which  have  fallen  to  the  share  of  so  many, 
whether  you  ought  not  to  improve  the  distinguished 

K  k 


266  LECTURE    XXVII. 

mercy,  not  by  wasting  your  Master's  time  and  ta- 
lents in  idleness  and  amusement,  but  by  devoting 
them  zealously  to  his  service,  and  spending  them  in 
the  exercise  of  devotion  and  of  charity  ;  in  attending 
to  all  the  ways  and  means  of  doing  good  that  are  in 
your  power ;  and  in  exalting  your  own  souls,  and 
those  of  others,  to  the  highest  possible  degrees  of 
christian  perfection. 

Let  none  allege  that  these  are  hard  sayings,  and 
that  none  can  bear  them  ;  for  experience  shows  that 
I  contend  for  no  more  than  niay  be  easily  perform- 
ed. A  very  large  denomination  of  christians  find  it 
practicable  enough  to  "  refrain  from  all  unprofitable 
u  plays,  frivolous  recreations,  sportings,  and  gainings, 
"  which  are  invented  to  pass  away  precious  time."* 
And  shall  ministers  complain  of  being  denied  what 
ordinary  christians  are  willing  to  dispense  with  ?  If 
they  do,  I  dare  not  condemn  them,  any  more  than 
I  would  pretend  to  justify  them.  I  shall  only  say, 
that  amusements,  even  when  most  innocent  in  their 
nature,  and  moderate  in  their  measure,  are  far  from 
being  favourable  to  our  sacred  business.  Their  ten- 
dency is  to  weaken  the  powers  of  the  soul,  and  to 
relax  that  spring,  with  which  it  exerts  itself  in  it's 
noblest  functions.  Diversion  is  by  no  means  a  pro- 
per preparation  for  prayer,  meditation,  or  any  other 
religious  exercise.  On  the  contrary,  it  takes  away, 
if  not  the  capacity,  at  least  the  relish  for  devotion  ; 
and  from  this  the  transition  is  short  and  easy  to  a  dis- 
like and  aversion  to  every  thing  sacred  and  serious. 
Whereas  the  exercise  of  our  intellectual,  social,  and 
moral  powers,  in  thinking,  and  conversing  as  ration- 
al and  immortal  beings,  improve  and  enlarge  our 
noblest  faculties,  qualify  us  for  every  act  of  our  du- 
ty, give  us  the  highest  satisfaction  in  the  discharge  of 
it,  and  the  sublimest  pleasure  on  reflection.     In  these, 

*  Barclay's  Apology  for  the  Quakers,  Prop.  15. 


LECTURE  XXVII.  267 

and  the  like  exercises,  therefore,  should  we  occupy 
ourselves,  if  we  wish  for  any  delight  that  is  solid  and 
lasting.  And  whatever  our  relaxation  be,  we  should 
study  to  make  it  useful  as  well  as  innocent.  The  one 
is  common,  the  other  is  consecrated :  the  one  is 
amusement,  the  other  is  charity  ;  and  I  need  not  say 
which  will  give  most  pleasure  here,  or  most  profit 
hereafter,  when  all  our  works  shall  be  tried  as  by  fire 

Wherefore,  my  brethren,  "  if  at  any  time  we  share 
"  in  any  of  those  amusements  that  are  deemed  the 
u  most  innocent,  we  should  remember,  that  we  are 
"  even  then  on  slippery  ground,  and  in  great  danger 
"  of  going  farther  than  we  ought ;  in  great  danger 
"  of  going  farther  than  is  innocent  in  us,  and  farther 
"  than  becomes  our  character.  For  we  should  be 
u  attentive  to  serious  reflection  in  the  midst  of  gaiety, 
"  and  seize  on  every  opportunity  of  promoting  what 
"  is  right,  where  too  generally  what  is  wrong  abounds. 
"  If  we  cannot  always,  and  altogether  keep  free  of 
"  idle  amusements,  and  idle  conversation  (by  which 
"  I  mean  no  more  than  what  is  generally  deemed  to 
*  be  innocent),  we  should  at  least  participate  of  them 
u  so  seldom,  and  so  little,  as  to  show  the  world  that 
"  our  happiness  consists  in  quite  a  different  matter. 
"  For  if,  instead  of  being  grave,  and  studious,  and 
u  laborious  in  our  profession,  we  dissipate  our- 
u  selves  in  vanities,  or  sink  into  luxurious  indo 
u  lence,  the  awe  of  our  character,  the  influence  of 
"  our  example,  and  the  weight  of  our  preaching, 
"  will  be  lost.  The  thoughtless  will  imagine,  that  they 
c-  may  safely  step  a  little  farther  than  we,  and  then 
-;  fall  into  palpable  sin ;  while  the  indifferent  to  reli- 
u  ofion  and  virtue  will  make  it  their  boast,  that  we 
"  aim  to  be  as  like  them  as  for  shame  we  can,  and 
c-  will  blaspheme,  on  that  account,  the  worthy  name 
Ci  by  which  we  are  called." 

"  Even  talking  with  pleasure  and  delight  of  the 
'*  diversions  and  amusements  of  the  world,  discovers 


268  LECTURE  XXVII. 

"  a  fondness  for  them  more  than  is  consistent  with  our 
"  character  and  office.  Having  almost  any  know- 
"  ledge  of  them,  implies  that  we  have  studied,  and 
"  that  we  love  them ;  at  least,  it  will  be  so  constru- 
"  ed  by  mankind,  from  whom  we  are  not,  in  such 
"  matters,  to  look  for  the  most  favourable  construc- 
«  tions.  And  yet  the  success  of  our  ministry  de- 
"  pends  on  their  thinking  well  of  us,  which  they 
a  will  be  so  far  from  doing  on  this  account,  that  al- 
"  most  all  of  them,  however  much  addicted  to 
"  such  amusements  themselves,  will  be  sure  to  cen- 
"  sure  us,  if  we  follow  them.  Even  those  which  are 
«  most  reputable  and  lawful,  may  be  far  from  expe- 
"  dient  for  us,  who  ought  to  set  our  people  a  pattern 
"  of  employing  their  precious  time  to  higher  and  bet- 
"  ter  purpose.  A  minister  of  God's  Word,  attentive 
"  to  his  duty,  will  neither  have  leisure  for  such  dissi- 
"  pations,  public  or  private,  nor  any  liking  to  them. 
<c  He  will  see  that  pleasure,  or  rather  a  wretched  af- 
"  fectation  of  it,  is  become  the  idol  of  mankind,  to 
"  which  they  are  sacrificing  their  fortunes,  their 
"  health,  their  reputations,  their  regard  to  God,  to 
"  their  social  duties,  to  the  state  of  their  souls,  to 
"  their  future  being.  Now,  what  are  the  clergy  to 
'c  do  in  such  a  case  ?  If  we  but  seem  to  go  along 
"  with  them,  who  shall  call  them  back  ?  For,  as 
"to  the  pretence  of* keeping  them  within  bounds, 
"it  is  visibly  a  mere  pretence.  Or,  were  it  not, 
"  the  older  and  graver  of  us  would  surely  think 
"  such  a  superintendancy  no  very  honourable  one  ; 
"  and  few  of  the  younger  and  livelier  could  be  safely 
u  trusted  with  it.  Indeed,  we  none  of  us  know 
u  what  effect  such  evil  communications  would  produce 
"  on  our  manners  and  dispositions.  With  regard  to 
"  oihers,  however,  I  do  not  mean  we  should  be  sour 
"  or  morose,  or  condemn  those  relaxations  which 
*'  they  deem  to  be  innocent.     It  is  best  to  express  our 


LECTURE  XXVII.  269 

f<  dislike  of  them  as  mildly  as  the  case  will  bear  ; 
*■  slight,  with  good  humour,  the  indulgences  in  which 
u  they  place  their  happiness,  and  convince  them,  by 
u  our  experience  as  well  as  reasoning,  how  very  coni- 
"  fortably  they  might  live  without  them*." 

A  minister,  endowed  with  the  spirit  of  his  office, 
considers  his  duty  as  his  highest,  and,  indeed,  his 
only  pleasure.  Habit,  which  is  every  thing,  gives 
him  that  pleasure  in  duty,  which  others  find  in  their 
sports  and  pastimes.  Even  the  attending  on  the  sick 
and  dying,  which,  to  an  ungracious  minister,  is  dis- 
agreeable and  irksome,  is  more  desirable  to  him  than 
any  scene  of  gaiety  and  amusement.  He  deems  it 
better  to  go  to  the  house  of  mourning  than  to  the  house  of 
feasting,  on  account  of  the  good  he  may  receive, 
the  good  he  may  do,  and  the  comfort  he  may  give  to 
a  soul  in  trouble.  To  the  house  of  mourning,  there- 
fore, and  to  the  bed  of  sickness,  he  repairs,  as  to 
scenes  of  spiritual  pleasure,  as  well  as  to  discharge 
his  duty.  And,  while  thus  engaged,  he  misses  not 
the  pleasures  of  the  world  ;  he  misses  not  even  the 
joys  of  heaven,  if  we  may  judge  from  the  case  of 
Fillan.  Fillan,  who  ministered  such  consolation  to 
the  children  of  affliction,  that  he  was  called  the 
healer  of  diseases,  professed  that  no  part  of  his  mi- 
nistry was  so  agreeable  to  him,  as  to  visit  the  afflicted. 
If  the  angel  of  distress,  or  death,  knocked  at  any 
door  within  his  district,  the  first  that  heard,  and  the 
next  that  knocked,  was  Fillan.  At  length  the  hour 
of  his  own  departure  came,  and  the  convoy  of  angels 
received  his  spirit.  Borne  on  their  wings,  he  flew 
towards  heaven,  and  saw  the  portals  already  open, 
when  a  ministering  spirit  passed  them  downward,  on 
his  way  to  visit  a  saint  in  prison.  That  is  like  enter- 
ing this  paradise,  said  Fillan,  looking  wistfully  after 
him,  as  if  he  envied  him  his  errand.     Angels  almost 

*  Archbishop  Seeker's  Charges. 


270  LECTURE  XXVII. 

blamed  him  for  having  said  so  ;  but  God  immediate- 
ly  ordained  him  to  be  a  minister  of  mercy.  Go, 
said  he,  and  divert  the  storm  that  rages  on  the  earth, 
lest  that  desart  tract  before  it  perish.  To  do  thy 
will,  in  errands  of  mercy,  is  the  essence  of  heaven  to 
me,  said  Fillan,  as  he  flew,  with  the  speed  of  a  sun- 
beam, to  turn  the  course  of  the  tempest.  But  hear- 
ing the  moan  of  distress  as  he  passed  over  a  cottage, 
Fillan,  as  he  was  wont,  would  stop,  though  but  a 
moment,  to  minister  consolation  to  a  soul,  whose 
painful  trial  was  about  to  cease  for  ever.  In  that  mo- 
ment, by  a  sudden  commotion  of  earth  and  oceaiij  the 
desart  sunk  and  perished.  Fillan  blushed  as  he 
returned  ;  angels  trembled  for  his  fate  ;  and  the  first 
sons  of  light  were  afraid  to  look  at  the  throne  of  God. 
But  God  remembered  the  habits  of  Fillan's  life,  and 
said,  Blessed  is  the  merciful  I 

And  blessed,  my  brethren,  and  happy  should  we 
be,  in  the  exercise  of  our  duty,  did  we  thus  love  to 
discharge  it,  and  consider  every  part  of  it,  not  as  a 
task,  but  as  an  honour  and  a  pleasure,  then  should 
we  look  for  opportunities  of  usefulness,  instead  of 
amusement,  and  fill,  alike  with  duty  and  with  plea- 
sure, every  day  and  hour  of  our  fleeting  life.*  But, 
if  any  call  this  a  hard  saying,  I  say  it  only  to  those 
choice  spirits  who  can  bear  it.  To  others  I  say,  that 
relaxation,  upon  the  whole,  is  allowed  them ;  yet 
not  what  the  world  falsely  calls  by  that  name  ;  not 
that  relaxation  which  destroys  the  most  valuable  of 
our  talents,  time,  without  answering  any  useful  pur- 
pose.    For  we  are  stewards,  and,  therefore,  i>ot  our 


"  Live  while  you  live,  the  epicure  would  say, 

"  And  snatch  the  pleasures  of  the  present  day. 

ft  Live  while  you  live,  the  sacred  preacher  cries, 

*r  And  give  to  God  each  moment  as  it  flics. 

**  Lord!  in  my  views  let  both  united  be, 

"  I  live  to  pleasure  while  I  live  to  thee."     Doddridge, 


LECTURE  XXVIi.  271 

own  ;  neither  are  our  time  and  talents.  Them  are 
all  of  them  the  property  of  our  Master,  and  should 
be  devroted  to  his  service,  in  the  edification  of  our 
people.  Our  relaxation  on  this  account,  should  be 
suited  to  our  character  as  ministers  of  the  gospel,  and 
followers  of  Jesus.  It  should  consist  in  the  exer- 
cise of  going  about  doing  good  ;  and,  sometimes,  if 
it  please  us,  in  the  culture  of  a  spot  of  garden,  or 
any  such  exercise,  moderately  taken,  and,  at  the 
same  time,  grave,  athletic,  and  unexceptionable.  It 
should  consist  in  the  pursuit  of  other  branches  of 
useful  science,  tbat  may  be  allied  to  our  business,  in 
the  small  measure  that  matters  of  more  importance 
will  allow.  It  should,  especially,  consist  in  the  edi- 
fying conversation  and  society  of  true  christians, 
Such  was  the  relaxation  of  Jesus  himself,  the  great 
Pattern  of  our  life  and  ministry ;  and  such  must  be 
ours,  if  we  are  his  true  disciples.  To  expect  it  from 
any  thing  else  unconnected  with  our  duty,  is  absurd, 
To  seek  it  in  the  world,  is  dangerous.  It  is  not 
there  ;  JVJiijseek  we  the  living  among  the  dead  ? 
u  Is  the  world,  my  brethren,  a  proper  place  of  re- 

*  creation  to  a  minister  of  Jesus  Christ  ?  How  shall 
*'  we  sing  a  song  in  a  strange  land  (said  the  Jewish 
"  captives  to  the  people  of  Babylon.)  where  the  God 
"  of  our  fathers  is  not  known,  where  his  friendship 
u  is  despised,  and  his  prophets  without  honour?  And 
H  would  it  be  recreation  to  us,  my  brethren,  to  see 
il  religion  despised,  our  Saviour  dishonoured,  and 
**  our  brethren,  for  whom  Christ  died,  perishing^ 
'*  and  squandering  away  thoughtlessly  the  few  mo- 
"  ments  of  grace  allowed  them  by  heaven  for  secur 
"  ing  their  salvation  ?  The  world  knew  not  Christ  ; 
"  the  world  hated  his  disciples  ;  and  his  disciples  bid 
"  his  followers  guard  against  the  world.  Paul  bids 
"  us  not  to  be  conformed  to  it ;  John  bids  us  not  to 
<;  love  it.     Job,  Moses,  David,  Elijah,  and  others,  of 

*  whom  the  world  was  not  worth/ ',  were   rieved  in  it, 


272  LECTURE   XXVII 

«  grew  sick  of  it,  and  wished  to  leave  it.  And  shall 
"  we  look  for  recreation  where  these  holy  men  were 
"  tired  of  life,  and  where  all  who  live  godly  in  Christ 
"  Jesus  meet  with  much  tribulation  ?  We  may  look 
"  for  it,  but  shall  not  find  it." 

"  The  world,  my  brethren,  is  a  place  of  snares 
"  and  dangers,  where  we  run  much  risk  of  being 
"  hurt  or  infected.  While  we  are  in  it,  we  breathe 
"  in  tainted  air  ;  and  though  wTe  associate  only  with 
"  the  most  regular,  yet,  when  amusement,  and  not 
"  duty,  calls  us,  their  maxims,  by  degrees,  weaken 
"  our  sense  of  duty  ;  their  false  wisdom  seduces, 
"  and  their  imperfect  manners  gain  us.*  Much 
u  of  our  time  is  taken  up  in  conversation,  which  is, 
"  at  best,  but  idle.  Vain  thoughts  occupy  our 
(i  minds,  and  they  recur  upon  our  memories.  We 
"  insensibly  conform  to  our  company,  and  depart 
a  from  the  sanctity  which  becomes  our  lives,  and 
"  the  gravity  which  becomes  our  character.  When 
"  duty  calls  us  to  mix  with  the  world,  then  provi- 
"  dence  protects,  as  it  did  Peter,  when  his  Master 
"  called  to  him  to  tread  the  deep.  Examine  there- 
"  fore,  whenever  you  mix  with  the  world,  if  duty 
li  calls  you?  if  it  is  for  the  good  of  men,  and  the 
u  glory  of  God  ?  Is  it  his  work  you  are  going  to  do? 
"  Is  it  charity  that  brings  you  to  comfort  the  afflict 
*'  ed,  to  strengthen  the  weak  ;  to  edify  the  saint,  to 
"  gain  the  sinner  ?  Or  is  it  your  zeal  to  follow  in 
st  private  the  instructions  you  have  been  giving  in 
w*  public  ;  to  entertain  by  heavenly  discourses  ;  or  to 
"  bring  the  peace  of  Christ  to  families  ?  Is  it  your 

*  "  Qui  ambulat  in  sole  coloratur, 
**  Qui  tangit  picem  inquinatur  ; 
M  Aerecalido  calescimus, 
'*  Et  rursus  frigido  frigescimus. 
4*  Tu  cum  Sanctis  sanctus  eris, 
'•  Cum  peryersis  peryerteris/' 


#w 


LECTURE  XXVII.  273 

u  watchfulness  to  reprove,  rebuke,  exhort,  encourage  ? 
"  Look  up,  and  you  will  find  it  was  so  with  your 
"  Master.  If  he  manifested  himself  in  a  village  of 
"  Jewry,  it  was  to  do  the  work  of  his  Father  ;  if 
"  at  a  marriage,  it  was  to  show  his  power,  and  gain 
"  authority  to  his  doctrine ;  if  in  the  house  of  a  publi- 
"  can,  it  was  to  save  a  child  of  Abraham ;  if  at  Jerusa 
"  lem  on  the  feast-day,  it  was  to  purge  the  temple 
In  a  word,  to  glorify  God,  and  to  do  good  to  souls, 
was  his  meat  and  his  drink,  his  work  and  his  recrea- 
tion. And  the  closer  we  follow  his  example,  the 
greater  shall  be  our  happiness  and  usefulness  here, 
and  the  greater  shall  be  our  glory  and  reward  here- 
after. Those  things,  therefore,  which  we  have  both 
learned,  and  received,  and  heard  of  him,  let  us  do, 
and  the  God  of  peace  shall  be  with  us. 

*  See  Massillon's  Discourses  to  his  Clergy. 


Li 


LECTURE  XXVllt. 

That  Ministers  ought  rigidly  to  observe  the  laws  re- 
specting Ordination  and  the  Discipline  of  their  Or- 
der. 

HAVING  said  so  much  of  the  duty  "of  the  clergy, 
towards  the  people,  it  may  be  proper  to  say  a  little 
of  those  studies  which  they  ought  to  observe  among 
themselves.  These  respect  either  the  admission  of 
members  into  their  order,  or  the  maintaining  of 
discipline  among  them  after  they  are  admitted, 
These  are  matters  of  such  vast  importance,  as  to 
merit  our  attention  in  the  highest  degree.  Accord- 
ingly, we  find  our  Saviour  spending  a  whole  night 
in  prayer,  before  he  called  or  ordained  his  apostles  ; 
and  we  find  the  apostles  in  like  manner,  praying 
for  direction  from  heaven,  when  filling  the  place  of 
Judas.  We  likewise  find,  that  christians,  in  general, 
are  more  than  once  directed  to  pray  to  God,  that  he 
would  send  faithful  labourers  into  his  vineyard. 
Could  any  thing  give  us  a  higher  idea  of  the  great 
importance  of  the  sacred  office  ?  We  cannot  possibly 
use  too  much  caution  in  the  licensing  or  ordaining  of 
those  who  are  candidates. 

Of  all  the  trusts  which  God  hath  put  into  our 
hands,  my  brethren,  this  is  of  the  most  importance, 
as  it  is  the  most  extensive,  in  it's  consequences,  ta 
mankind.  The  laws  of  our  church,  therefore,  re- 
specting this  matter,  ought  to  be  always  observed 
with  the  most  scrupulous  rigour.  No  consideration 
whatever  ought  to  prevail  with  us  to  depart  from  the 
least  iota  of  these  laws  ;  for  that  would  be  to  preju- 
dice  the  cause  of  the  gospel.      Neither  friendship 


lecture  xxvin.  275 

nor  compassion,  nor  interest,  nor  importunity,  should 
move  us  to  bring  any  into  the  church,  who  is  not 
(as  we  firmly  believe  in  our  conscience,)  in  every  re- 
spect, duly  qualified  for  it's  service.  Friendship  for 
any  man  in  this  respect,  is  enmity  to  God  ;  compas- 
sion to  an  individual  is  cruelty,  and  the  worst  cruel- 
ty too,  to  the  community  ;  and  to  be  remiss  or -easy 
iii  admitting  such  as  ought  to  have  neither  lot  nor  part 
in  this  matter,  is  to  become  partakers  of  other  men's 
sins,  and  to  be,  in  a  great  measure,  answerable  for 
the  harm  which  they  do  to  souls,  the  disgrace  which 
they  bring  on  their  office,  the  hurt  which  they  do  to  reli- 
gion, and  the  mischiefs  which  they  bring  on  the  church 
of  God.  Yes,  my  brethren,  we  keep  the  door  of  the 
sanctuary,  and  we  must,  therefore,  answer  to  God 
and  the  souls  of  men,  for  such  as  we  unwarrantably  let 
in.  On  this  account,  the  longer  we  know  them,  the 
more  we  examine  into  their  views,  their  knowledge, 
parts,  and  character  ;  and  the  greater  the  variety  of 
trials  through  which  we  make  them  pass,  the  more 
we  secure  our  own  peace  o  f  conscience,  the  dignity 
and  character  of  the  order,  and  the  interest  of  God 
and  religion  in  the  world. 

We  must  be  cautious  of  admitting  any  who  have 
not  devoted  themselves  early  to  the  service  of  God, 
and  to  the  study  of  the  scriptures,  and  received  such 
education  as  qualifies  them  for  the  ministry  ;  that  is, 
such  education  as  qualifies  them  for  being  useful  to 
souls,  not  only  by  the  measure  of  their  knowledge, 
but  also  by  the  practical  power  of  their  doctrine,  and 
the  commanding  influence  of  an  holy  and  exempla- 
ry conduct.  We  must  examine  if  they  have  been  re- 
marked for  a  strong  early  and  persevering  passion  for 
study  ;  without  which,  no  excellence  in  this  office  is 
ever  to  be  expected  or  attained.  We  must  observe, 
that  they  be  not  novices,  but  are  come  to  the  age 
in  which  their  character  may  be  supposed  to  be  fully 


276  LECTURE   XXVIII. 

formed,  and  their  habits  decidedly  marked. *  We 
must  observe,  that  they  be  distinguished  by  their  pru- 
dence, as  well  as  by  the  sanctity  of  their  manners, 
and  that  they  evince  a  heart  filled  with  love  to  God 
and  to  mankind.  We  must  especially  observe,  that 
they  be  possessed  of  those  qualifications  which  the 
word  of  God  requires  in  such  as  would  be  teachers  of 
the  religion  of  Jesus  ;  that  they  be  "  blameless  as  the 
"  stewards  of  God,  vigilant,  sober,  of  good  behaviour, 
"  and  of  good  report ;  not  self-willed,  not  soon  an- 
"  glT>  n°t  given  to  wine  or  strong  drink  ;  no  braw- 
"  lersor  strikers  ;  not  given  to  filthy  lucre  ;  but  just, 
"  holy,  temperate,  holding  fast  the  faithful  word,  and 
"  able,  by  sound  doctrine,  both  to  exhort  and  to  con- 
"  vince  the  gainsayers ;  in  all  things  showing  them- 
"  selves  patterns  of  good  works,  and  examples  to  the 
"  believers,  in  word,  in  conversation,  in  charity,  in 
"  spirit,  in  faith,  in  purity,  in  gravity,  in  sincerity  ; 
"  studious  and  laborious,  not  neglecting  any  gift  that 
"  is  in  them,  but  giving  themselves  wholly  to  their 
a  work,  and  taking  heed  to  themselves  and  to  their 
"  doctrine,  that  they  may  save  their  own  souls,  and 
"  those  that  hear  them.  They  must  be  men  of  God, 
"  following  after  righteousness,  godliness,  faith,  loVe, 
"  patience,  meekness  ;  they  must  be  lovers  of  good 
*'  men,  fleeing  youthful  lusts,  avoiding  foolish  strifes 
"  and  debates  ;  gentle,  patient,  apt  to  teach ;  in  meek- 
"  ness  instructing  those  that  oppose  themselves  ;  and, 
"  in  a  word,  doing  all  the  work  of  an  evangelist,  and 
"  making  full  proof  of  their  ministry  ."t 

We  must  examine  diligently,  that  candidates  for 
the  ministry  be  well  acquainted  with  the  sacred  scrip- 
tures; that  they  be  trained  in  them  from  their  youth, 
and  that  they  have   committed  the  most  useful  and 

*  The  Levitical  law  fixed  this  at  thirty  :  And,  at  that  age 
our  Siivior.r  begun  his  public  ministry, 
f  See  tht  I^istles  to  Timothy  and  Titus. 


LECTURE   XXVIII.  277 

practical  parts  of  them  to  memory,  in  order  to  be 
richly  furnished  for  being  able  ministers  of  the  New 
Testament.  We  must  likewise  examine,  whether 
their  education  has  been  all  along  calculated  more 
for  solid  utility  than  mere  show  and  speculation  ; 
and  take  care  that  their  whole  life,  so  far  as  it  is  p  >s- 
sible  for  us  to  know,  exhibit  the  most  striking  ex- 
amples of  piety  and  virtue.  For  no  person  who  is 
not  himself  a  model  of  piety  and  divine  love,  is 
qualified  for  being  a  public  teacher  of  piety,  or  a 
guide  to  others  in  the  way  of  salvation.  How  can 
he  teach  who  has  not  learned  ;  how  can  he  recom- 
mend virtue  who  loves  vice ;  or  how  can  he  lead 
others  to  heaven  who  walks  himself  another  way  ? 
If  Plato  would  have  none  made  heathen  priests  but 
such  as  were  tC  descended  of  pious  parents,  and  had 
"  always  the  best  education  and  example,  and  were 
"  free  both  from  every  bodily  imperfection  and  from 
"  every  moral  stain  offensive  to  God,  and  incompa- 
"  tible  with  the  sanctity  of  their  character,"  shall  we 
not  hold  the  christian  priesthood  worthy  of  at  least 
the  same  regard  ? 

The  stress  which  this  philosopher  places  on  the 
circumstance  of  priests  being  descended  of  pious  pa- 
rents, is  a  matter  highly  deserving  our  attention. 
The  principle  of  imitation  will  naturally  lead  the 
children  of  such  parents  to  copy  their  example,  by 
which  they  have  the  vast  benefit  of  acquiring  those 
early  habits  of  virtue  which  make  the  most  lasting 
impression  on  the  soul,  and  which  probably  give  it 
much  of  it's  colouring  through  time  and  through 
eternity.  Independent,  indeed,  of  this  effect  of  ex- 
ample and  imitation,  it  may  be  observed,  that  chil- 
dren often  inherit  a  certain  cast  of  mind,  as  well  as 
of  body,  from  their  parents,  so  as  to  resemble  them 
generally  in  the  principal  features  of  the  one  as  well 
as  of  the  other.  Thus,  solidity  and  sense  is  the  cha- 
racteristic of  one  family  ;  levity  and  foliy  of  another 
Thus,  too,   as   some  families  are  distinguished  for 


278  lecture  xxvm. 

their  mechanic,  and  some  for  their  poetic,  so  others 
for  their  pious  and  virtuous  turn  of  mind.  It  is, 
therefore,  a  very  desirable  circumstance,  that  candi- 
dates for  the  ministry  should  be  descended  of  pious 
parents,  as  their  original  advantages,  in  this  respect, 
give  no  inconsiderable  security  for  their  good  beha- 
viour in  the  sacred  office. 

After  this  diligent  enquiry  into  the  education,  pie- 
ty, and  knowledge  (and,  1  would  wish  to  add,  with 
Plato,  into  the  pious  parentage  also)  of  every  candi- 
date, we  ought  also  to  enquire  into  his  veiws,  that 
the  fault  may  not  be  ours,  if  these  be  wrong.  He 
ought,  therefore,  "  to  be  posed,  upon  his  conscience, 
u  before  the  great  God,  and  that  in  the  most  solemn 
**  manner,  to  declare  what  moveth  him  to  accept  of 
"  this  office,  and  to  take  upon  him  the  charge  of  the 
a  ministry*." 

Nor  is  this  all:  We  must  take  care,  that  candi- 
dates for  the  sacred  office  have  a  fund  of  good  sense 
and  parts,  as  well  as  knowledge,  piety,  and  a  good 
intention.  A  weak  and  well  meaning  man  may  fill 
any  other  office  rather  than  this,  which  is  the  most 
important  of  all,  and  which  requires  more  than  an 
ordinary  degree  of  perfection  to  discharge  it  proper- 
ly. The  Levitical  law  excluded  from  the  priesthood 
all  such  as  were  lame,  maimed,  or  deformed  in  bo- 
dy ;  and  shall  we  admit  into  the  christian,  such  as 
are  deficient  or  lame  in  any  endowment  of  the 
mindt  ?  If  we  do,  how  shall  we  answer  it  to  our 
conscience  ;  how  shall  we  answer  it  to  our  God  ; 
how  shall  we  answer  it  to  the  souls  that  perish 
through  the  misconduct,  incapacity,  or  weakness,  of 

*  Act.  Assemb.   1638. 

t  rt  From  such  apostles,  O  ye  mitred  heads, 
"  Preserve  the  church  !  and  lay  not  careless  hands 
(f  On  skulls  that  cannot  teach,  and  will  not  learn.'' 

COWPEB. 


lecture  xxvirr.  279 

fihose  who  should  teach  and  guide  them  ?  No,  my 
brethren,  let  us  not  dare  to  entrust  the  flock  of  Christ 
to  those  whom  we  would  scarce  entrust  with  the  keep- 
ing of  our  cattle,  or  with  the  management  of  our 
worldly  affairs,  if  they  required  any  considerable 
share  of  prudence  and  ability.  Let  us  not  deprive 
society  of  the  service  of  such  persons,  in  some  lower 
department  that  may  fit  them  ;  nor  let  us  injure 
souls,  by  putting  them  in  the  room  that  should  be 
filled  by  able  and  useful  pastors. 

But  it  is  not  only  to  the  admission  of  members  to 
the  sacred  office  that  we  ought  to  attend.  We  must 
also  watch  over  one  another  with  a  holy  jealousy, 
after  getting  in,  lest  the  enemy  get  advantage  over 
us.  We  must  lay  aside  that  false  delicacy  and  mis- 
taken tenderness,  which  would  hinder  us  from  ad- 
monishing a  brother  when  he  is  in  fault,  and  so  pre- 
venting evils  in  the  beginning,  which  the  severest 
discipline  may  not  afterwards  amend.  But  then> 
amidst  the  calumnies  of  the  world  (of  which  the 
ministers  of  religion  often  get  their  share,)  we  should 
be  careful  not  to  blame  a  brother  without  sufficient 
reason ;  nor,  without  necessity,  tell  other  men  what 
we  are  even  then  obliged  to  think  of  him.  We 
should  be  ready  to  show  all  proper  kindness  to  him, 
even  when  blameable,  and  to  receive  him  with  ten- 
derness, if,  without  obliging  us  to  proceed  to  ex- 
tremity, he  returns  to  duty.  But,  if  brotherly  ad- 
monition does  not  amend  him,  we  must  then,  how- 
ever reluctantly,  proceed,  according  to  our  laws,  to 
the  other  steps  of  discipline;  and,  for  the  sake  of 
preserving  the  health  of  the  rest  of  the  body,  cut 
off,  like  wise  physicians,  the  limb  that  cannot  be 
healed.  The  interests  of  religion  are  never  so  mate- 
rially concerned  as  in  the  preserving  of  the  purity 
of  it's  ministers.  Lose  this,  and  you  lose  your  au- 
thority, influence  and  respect,  and,  of  consequencea 
your  usefulness  m  your  Master's  service.     Lose  this, 


280  LECTURE  XXVII. 

and  you  lose  your  own  souls,  and  destroy  those  of 
others.  It  is,  therefore,  of  the  utmost  importance, 
that  we  execute,  with  impartiality,  and  even  with 
rigour,  the  laws  of  discipline  respecting  our  own  or- 
der. Neither  friendship,  nor  favour,  nor  pity,  must, 
at  any  time,  move  us  to  wink  at  the  faults  of  a  bro- 
ther, or  to  screen  him  from  the  lash  of  discipline,  when 
he  deserves  to  feel  it.  In  this  respect,  we  must, 
with  Levi,  neither  acknowledge  our  brethren,  nor 
know  our  own  children.  Whatever  relation  or  regard 
we  bear  to  them,  that  which  we  bear  to  God  and  our 
own  souls  is  stronger.  "  I  have  a  regard  for  Socrates," 
said  the  philosopher,  "  and  I  have  a  regard  for  Plato  ; 
"but  I  have  a  still  greater  regard  for  truth  and 
duty." 

We  must,  therefore,  I  say,  my  brethren,  watch 
over  one  another  continually,  with  a  holy  jealousy; 
and  when  we  cannot  prevent  faults,  endeavour,  by 
a  strict  and  impartial  exercise  of  discipline,  to  cor- 
rect the  offender  ;  and,  if  we  cannot  amend  him,  at 
least  remove  him  from  his  office.  We  must  do  all 
in  our  power  to  provoke  one  another  to  love  and  to 
oood  works,  and  to  be  as  useful  as  we  can  in  the 
church  of  God.  We  must  frequently  converse  and 
consult  with  one  another  about  the  means  of  pro- 
moting knowledge  and  piety  ;  remembering,  that  on 
our  diligence  in  this  work,  under  God,  depends  the 
salvation  of  thousands  still  living  in  ignorance  under 
our  pastoral  charge.  Nay,  further,  on  our  diligence 
iri>  this  work,  depends  our  salvation  also.  It 
should,  therefore,  occupy  our  thoughts  when  alone 
and  should,  when  we  meet,  be  the  great  subject  of 
our  conversation. 

We  must  do  all  that  lieth  in  us  to  strengthen 
each  other's  hands,  and  to  maintain,  among  our- 
selves, peace,  love,  and  unanimity.  Like  the  bunj 
die  of  rods  in  the  fable,  our  strength  is  great  only 
when  we  are  united.     Intent  with  all  our  heart  and 


LECTURE  xxvnr.  281 

soul  upon  our  Master's  work,  our  common  business, 
let  us  consider  every  other  thing  as  of  little  moment, 
and  totally  unworthy  of  our  serious  concern  ;  so 
shall  we  have  little  occasion  to  differ  much  in  opi- 
nion. Or  if,  at  any  time,  we  should  differ  in  opinion 
about  trifles  (and  about  trifles  it  is  that  wTe  almost 
always  do  so*),  let  us  never  do  it  but  in  meekness 
and  love  ;  leaving  all  intemperate  heat  and  animosity 
to  those  who  serve  another  master.  Let  our  modera- 
tion be  known  to  all  men  ;  for  the  wrath  of  man,  we 
know,  worketh  not  the  righteousness  of  God.  Let  us 
remember,  that  we,  who  endeavour  to  compose  and 
remove  the  differences  of  others,  ought,  if  possible, 
to  have  none  of  our  own. 

But,  (I  say  it  again,  my  brethren)  if  disputes 
should  at  any  time  unhappily  arise,  let  us  never  pur- 
sue them  keenly,  nor  maintain  them  long.  Let  us, 
if  possible,  love  and  respect  those  from  whom  we 
think  ourselves  obliged  to  differ,  and  do  them  the 
justice,  which  we  expect  from  them,  to  believe  that 
they  act  from  conscience,  as  we  do  ourselves.  Let 
us  judge  of  whatever  they  say  or  do  with  charity, 
Let  us  judge  of  the  matter  in  dispute  with  modesty  ; 
for  it  is  possible  we  are  not  qualiiied  to  judge  of  it  at 
all.  And,  whatever  be  our  opinion,  let  us  act  in 
such  a  manner,  as  may  secure  to  us  the  approba- 
tion of  God,  and  the  esteem  of  all  good  men.  Any 
thing  different  from  this  meekness  of  wisdom,  would 
hurt  our  character,  hurt  our  cause,  and  hurt  religion 
It  would  give  the  world    occasion  to  believe,  that 

*  Arist.  "  But  amidst  our  ecclesiastical  feuds,  with  what 
"  party  will  you  side  ? 

Thtot.  "  With  none.  Virtue  never  occasions  any  dispute, 
"  because  it  comes  from  Cod  :  All  these  heart-burnings  are 
"  about  opinions  which  are  the  inventions  of  men. 

Arist.  "  Excellent  !  I  wish  all  priests  were  like  you.'' 

Vol.  Diet.    Phil 

M  m 


332  lecture  xxvm. 

whatever  we  profess,  we  arc  not  indeed  the  disci- 
ples of  him,  who  is  the  Prince  of  peace,  and  who 
required  of  all  his  disciples,  to  have  peace  among 
themselves*. 


Mark.  ix.  50, 


LECTURE  XXIX. 
Address  to  Candidates  for  the  Ministry. 

"  HE  who  intends  to  dedicate  himself  to  the  sacred 

*  office,  ought  early  to  devote  himself  to  the  strict - 

*  est  piety  and  virtue,  that  he  may  not  be  vitiated 
"  by  any  ill  habit,  which  it  may  not  afterwards  be 
"easy  for  him  to  lay  aside.  He  ought,  above  all 
Aw  things,  to  possess  himself  with  a  high  sense  of  the 
<f  christian  religion,  of  it's  truth  and  excellency,  of 
"  the  value  of  souls,  of  the  dignity  of  the  pastoral 
u  care,  of  the  honour  of  God,  of  the  sacredness  of 
"  holy  functions,  and  of  the  great  trust  that  is  com- 
"  mitted  to  those  who  are  set  apart  from  the  world, 
"  and  dedicated  to  God  and  to  his  church,  lie 
"  who  looks  this  way,  must  mortify  himself  to  the 
"  appetites  of  pleasure,  and  wealth,  and  honour,  and 
?  power.  He  must  consider,  that  the  relation  in 
u  which  he  intends  to  officiate,  calls  every  one  who 
"  enters  upon  it  to  the  greatest  holiness  and  virtue  ; 
"  to  a  purity  and  innoceney  of  manners,  to  a  meek- 
"  ness  and  gentleness,  to  a  humility  and  self-denial, 
"  to  a  contempt  of  the  world,  and  a  heavenly-mind- 
"  edness,  to  a  patient  resignation  to  the  will  of  God, 
"  and  a  readiness  to  bear  the  cross,  and  follow  his 
"  Master,  through  good  report  and  bad  report,  in 
"  hopes  of  that  everlasting  reward  which  awaits  him 
"  in  another  world*."  And  when  you,  my  young 
brethren,  are  about  to  consecrate  }ourselves  to  this 
important  work,  1  hope  you  have  examined  before 
God,    whether  you  have  these  dispositions  ;   or,  in 


*  Burnet's  Pastoral  Care. 


284  LECTURE  XXIX. 

other  word^  whether  he  hath  called  you  to  his  ser- 
vice. 1  hope  you  can  say  in  truth,  that  you  "  trust 
"  you  are  inwardly  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  to 
"  take  upon  you  this  office,  to  serve  God  for  the 
"  promoting  of  his  glory,  and  the  edifying  of  his 
"  people*."  You  will  not,  I  trust,  give  God  cause 
to  complain  of  you,  as  he  did  of  some  of  the  false 
prophets  of  old,  /  have  not  sent  them,  and  yet  they 
run.  This  would  be  a  crime  of  such  enormity  as 
you  would  not  choose,  I  am  persuaded,  to  be  guilty 
of.  For,  ""  if  a  man  pretend  a  commission  from  a 
"  prince,  or  indeed  from  any  person,  and,  in  conse- 
'•  quence  of  it,  acts  in  his  name,  the  law  will  punish 
"  him  ;  and  shall  the  great  God  of  heaven  and  earth 
"  be  thus  vouched,  and  his  having  moved  them  be 
"  pretended  by  those  whom  he  has  neither  called  nor 
"  sent?  Or,  shall  he  not  reckon  with  those  who  dare 
'  run  without  his  mission,  pretending  that  they  have 
66  it,  when  they  never  perhaps  examined  into  it's  im- 
"  portance,  nor  startled  at  the  thoughts  of  becoming 
u  sacrilegious  profaners  of  the  name  of  God,  and  of 
"  his  Holy  Spiritf  ?" 

But  of  you,  my  young  brethren,  I  hope  better 
things.  Human  motives,  I  hope,  are  not  those 
which  influence  you  in  your  choice.  The  glory  of 
God,  and  the  salvation  of  souls,  I  trust,  are  the 
great  end  and  aim  you  have  in  view.  Gladly,  then, 
will  1  address  each  of  you,  as  Laban  did  Eliezer, 
Come  in,  thou  blessed  of  the  Lord,  why  standest  thou 
without  ?  It  is  of  such'  labourers  that  the  Lord  hath 
need  in  his  vineyard,  and,  on  the  prospect  of  having 
such  for  our  fellow-labourers,  we  exceedingly  re- 
joice. 

But,  on  the  other  hand,  if  you  have  not  examined 
yourselves,  and  found  that  3011  have  a  single  eye  to 
the  glory  of  God,  enter  not  the  sacred  place  in  which 

*  Eng.  Liturgy.  f  Past.  Care. 


LECTURE  XXIX.  285 

his  honour  dwells.  Keep  back,  lest  he  ask  you,  What 
have  you  to  do  to  declare  my  statutes,  or  to  take  my 
covenant  into  your  mouth  9  If  it  is  from  selfish  and 
worldly  motives  that  you  thrust  yourselves  into  the  sa- 
cred office,  you  are  not  the  servants  of  Christ,  but  the 
slaves  of  your  own  corrupt  passions,  the  slaves  of  the 
very  worst  ambition.  All  your  concern  is  to  get  a 
tolerable  maintenance,  a  comfortable  subsistence  in 
the  world.  Like  the  unjust  steward,  you  arc  perhaps 
unwilling  to  dig,  and  to  beg  you  are  ashamed  ;  there- 
fore you  turn  your  thoughts  to  this,  as  a  very  conve- 
nient employment.  So  it  was  in  the  degenerate 
times  of  the  church  of  old.  Men  would  crouch  for  a 
piece  of  silver,  and  say,  Pid  me,  I  pray  thee,  in  the 
priesfs  office,  that  I  may  eat  a  piece  of  bread.  Hence 
the  grievous  complaint,  that  the  priests  taught  for  hire, 
and  the  prophets  divined  for  money. 

It  is  true,  God  hath  ordained,  that  they  who  preach 
the  gospel  should  live  by  the  gosjjel,  and  have  a  suffi- 
cient maintenance  provided  for  them  ;  and  the  in- 
justice of  withholding  this  from  them,  may  be  one  of 
the  most  crying  sins  of  the  times. *  Although  this  be 
their  right,  it  should  not  be  their  motive. t  When  it 
is,  it  soon  leads  to  avarice,  and  to  an  inordinate  love 
of  the  world  ;  the  most  sordid  passion  to  which  hu- 
man nature  ever  stoops.  In  scripture,  we  find  pious 
and  regenerate  persons  fallen  into  many  sins,  but,  as 
it  has  been  often  observed,  none  of  them  into  this. 
This  is  a  spot  never  to  be  found  in  God's  children ; 
and  proves  more  fatal   than   leprosy  or  plague,  to 

*  Mai.  iii.  8—10. 
t  The  late  Dr.  Johnson,  when  in  indigent  circumstances, 
was  offered  a  rectory  if  he  would  enter  into  orders.  But  this 
great  and  good  man,  sensible,  as  it  is  supposed,  of  the  asperi- 
ty of  his  temper,  declined  it ;  saying,  u  I  have  not  the  requi- 
sites for  the  office,  and  1  cannot  in  my  conscience  shear  the 
flock  which  I  am  unable  to  feed." 


£86  LECTURE   XXIX. 

those  infected  with  it's  poison.  The  sin  which  carried 
Judas  to  his  own  place,  was  avarice.  The  sin  which 
made  Demas  forsake  the  church  was  avarice.  The  sin 
most  directly  opposite  to  that  largeness  of  soul  and 
generosity  of  sentiment,  which  the  gospel  inspires,  is 
avarice.  What  a  contradiction,  then,  must  it  he  in  a 
minister  of  the  gospel  ?  What  a  debasement  of  his 
character  to  yield  to  it?  It  is  as  if  a  king  should  de- 
scend from  his  throne  to  sit  on  the  dunghill.  Besides, 
this  is  a  sin  which  is  seldom  found  alone.  Whoever 
is  capable  of  it,  is  capable  of  any  evil.*  It  renders  a 
minister,  especially,  indifferent  to  the  salvation  or  dam 
nation  of  the  souls  of  whom  he  has  the  charge.  He  is 
occupied  only  about  the  sordid  and  temporal  profits  to 
be  derived  from  his  office,  instead  of  using  that  evan- 
gelical earnestness,  which  almost  borders  on  compul- 
sion, to  make  people  leave  their  farms,  and  their  oxen, 
and  accept  of  the  gospel  invitation  ;  he  forgets  that  he 
was  sent  out  on  this  errand,  and  minds  his  farm,  and 
his  oxen  himself,  as  much  as  they  do.  And  if  the 
k\sg  resented  so  highly,  that  the  persons  who  were 
bidden  made  light  of  his  invitation,  with  how  much 
greater  severity  will  he  treat  that  servant,  who,  ne- 
|lecting  his  business,  and  betraying  his  trust,  joins  in 
their  madness,  and  remains  along  with  them  !  If  they 
are  treated  as  ingrates,  he  must  be  treated  as  a  rebel, 
lie  goes  forth  to  war  against  the  world ;  and  with  the 
world  he  joins  in  league  against  his  master. 

When  a  minister  coldly  commends  the  things  that 
are  heavenly,  and  warmly  pursues  the  things  that  are 
earthly,  who  can  believe  him  to  be  in  earnest  ?  Who 
will  not  rather  consider  him  as  a  mere  player, 
Who  acts  upon  the  stage  an  hour  or  two 
In  an  unreal  character  ;  and  then 
Throws  oft' the  mask,  and  reassumes  his  own  ? 


Quid  non  mortalia  pector^cogis, 
Auri  sacra  fames ! 


LECTURE  XXIX,  287 

How  can  this  man's  labours  in  the  ministry  be  other- 
wise than  lost  ?  but  his  having  lost  his  labour,  and 
his  having  passed  his  life  without  ever  gaining  one 
soul  to  Christ,  is  not  what  affects  him.  This,  without 
any  complaint,  he  can  bear  with  perfect  patience.  But 
what  he  laments  is,  that  his  function  brought  him  no 
more  of  that  filthy  lucre,  for  which  he  served.  Hence 
the  source  of  all  his  grief;  here  the  balance  in  which 
all  his  losses  are  weighed. 

What  then  shall  we  say  tz  these  things  ?  If  Jesus 
drove  the  traffickers  out  of  the  temple,  how  will  he 
permit  such  a  wretch  as  this  to  enter  into  it  ?  He 
may  permit  it  (for  he  acts  sometimes  in  the  way  of 
judgment  as  well  as  mercy,)  but  permit  it  with  im- 
punity he  will  not.  He  is  a  jealous  God,  and  will  ne- 
ver suffer  any  one  to  enter  his  temple,  in  order  to  bow 
down  to  an  idol.  This,  in  any  man,  would  be  the 
most  heinous  profanity  ;  but,  in  a  minister,  the  most 
horrid  impiety.  It  would  be  a  bold  defiance  to  the 
Deity,  and,  as  it  were,  an  open  challenge  to  grasp  his 
thunder.  Why  should  you  then,  my  young  friends, 
allow  yourselves  to  be  thus  impelled  to  your  destruc- 
tion by  worldly  motives  ?  What  shall  you  be  profit- 
ed, if  you  gain  the  whole  world  (of  which,  by  the  way, 
you  can  gain  but  very  little)  and  lose  your  own  souls? 
Lose  your  own  souls  !  Yes,  most  infallibly.  And 
what  is  there  in  the  world,  that  should  tempt  you  to 
run  this  dreadful  hazard  ?  "  The  world,  believe  it, 
"  the  world  has  nothing  solid,  nothing  durable.  It  is 
"  only  a  fashion,  and  a  fashion,  too,  that  passeth 
"  away.  Yes,  sirs,  the  tenderest  friendships  end. — 
"  Honours  are  specious  titles,  which  time  effaces. 
"  Pleasures  are  amusements,  which  leave  only  a  last- 
"  ing  and  painful  repentance.  Riches  are  torn  iron* 
'c  us  by  the  violence  of  men,  or  elude  us  by  their  own 
"  instability.  Grandeurs  moulder  away  of  themselves. 
1  Glory  and  renown  at  length  lose  themselves  in  the 
"  abysses  of  an  eternal  oblivion.     So  rolls  the  torrent 


288  LECTURE   XXIX. 

"  of  this  world,  whatever  pains  are  taken  to  stop  it, 
rt  Every  thing  is  carried  away  by  a  rapid  train  of  pas- 
"  sing  moments  ;  and  by  continual  revolutions  we 
"  arrive,  frequently,  without  thinking  of  it,  at  that 
"  fatal  point,  where  time  finishes,  and  eternity  begins! 
"  Happy  then  the  christian  soul,  who,  obeying  the 
"  precept  of  Jesus  Christ,  loves  not  the  world,  nor 
"  any  thing  that  the  world  contains."* 

But  possibly,  my  young  brethren,  you  may  not 
look  forward  to  this  office  from  gainful  motives,  and 
yet  your  views  may  still  be  wrong.  You  may  per- 
haps consider  the  temple  of  God  as  a  place  of  re- 
pose, where  you  may  loll  your  life  away  in  ease  and 
indolence. t  Ah  !  my  young  brethren,  how  grossly 
are  you  mistaken  !  How  little  do  you  know  of  the 
many  cares,  fatigues,  and  perplexities,  which  attend 
the  sacred  function  !  These  are  so  many,  that  under 
the  weight  of  them  (to  use  the  words  of  one  of  the 
fathers)  •'  the  shoulders  of  angels  themselves  might 
"  groan." 

Ministers  are  in  scripture  designated  by  the  names 
of  rulers,  teachers,  stewards,  shepherds,  servants, 
watchmen,  labourers,  soldiers,  and  the  like,  all  of 
them  expressive  of  both  great  trust  and  great  toil. 
Whoever  would  exercise  any  one  of  them  aright,  must 
have  many  wearisome  days,  and  restless  nights  ;  much 
fatigue  of  body,  and  anxiety  of  mind.     But  when 

*  Archbishop  Flechier. 

t  Erasmus  laments,  that  in  his  time  (and  I  fear  it  is  so  in 
curs)  many  young  preachers  greatly  mistook  the  nature  of 
their  calling  in  this  and  other  respects.  '  Verum  ad  concio- 
'  nes  sacras  admittuntur,  interdum  etiam  assiliunt  adolescen. 
'  tes,  leves,  indocti,  quasi  nihil  sit  facilius  quam  apud  populum 
'  exponere  divinam  scripturam,  et  abunde  sufficiat  perfricuis- 
*  sefaciem,  etabsterso  pudorelinguem  volvere.  Hoc  malum 
c  ex  eo  fonte  manat,  quod  non  perpenditur  quid  sit  ecclesias- 
1  tici  corrcionatcris  turn  dignitas,  turn  difficujtas,  turn  utilitas. 


LECTURE  XXIX.  289 

they  must  all  unite  in  one  character,  who,  O  God  • 
is  sufficient  for  these  tilings! 

Oar  office  is  an  office  of  labour.  In  it,  the  wicked 
and  slothful  servant  are  but  one  and  the  same  cha- 
racter. In  it,  an  idle  hour  must  therefore  be  always 
set  down  as  a  guilty  one ;  and  every  moment  must  be 
occupied,  or  God,  conscience,  and  perishing  souls 
may  upbraid  us  ;  as  the  moments  which  we  waste  in 
trifles,  and  the  breath  which  we  spend  in  talk,  might, 
if  applied  properly,  be  the  means  of  saving  souls. 
Our  office  is  an  office  of  labour.  It  obliges  us  to  car- 
ry our  children  in  our  bosom,  as  a  nurse  her  child ; 
to  suffer  the  murmurings  and  ingratitudes  without 
abandoning  them  ;  to  aim  at  uniting  in  duty  and  ob- 
servance of  the  law,  all  the  different  humours  and  in- 
clinations of  which  they  are  made  up  ;  and  to  double 
our  diligence,  in  proportion  as  they  study  to  render 
pur  diligence  useless.  Our  office  is  a  station  of  emi- 
nence, where  it  is  difficult  to  stand,  and  unspeakably 
dangerous  to  fall.  It  is,  besides,  an  uncommodious 
elevation,  which  exposes  to  the  observation  of  the 
public,  and  renders  many  things,  in  themselves  lawful, 
to  us  not  expedient;  on  account  of  the  weakness  of  our 
brethren.  And  as  we  must  often  reprehend  vice,  we 
are  often  exposed  to  the  hatred  of  those  whom  we  ar- 
dently wish  to  save. 

Our  office  is  a  dangerous  charge,  which  renders 
us  responsible  to  God  for  a,  vast  number  of  souls, 
whose  salvation  or  ruin  must  be  in  a  great  measure 
owing  to  us  ;  so  that  we  must  be,  in  some  degree,  an- 
swerable  for  the  sins  of  others  as  well  as  for  our  own. 
Our  office  is  an  awful  dispensation,  which  commits 
to  us  the  mysteries  of  God,  and  the  fruits  of  the 
death  of  Christ  ;  so  that  the  least  unfaithfulness  be- 
comes an  abuse  of  his  blood,  and  renders  the  inesti- 
mable benefits  of  his  cross  of  non  effect.  It  is  a  post 
of  vigilance,  which  obligeth  us  to  bear  the  spiritual 
armour  of  our  sacred  warfare  always  in  our  hands, 

N  n 


200  LECTURE  XXIX. 

to  combat  against  flesh  and  blood,  and  spiritual  wick- 
ednesses in  high  places,  and  against  the  corruptions  of 
the  age  in  which  we  live.  Otherwise,  the  crimes 
which  we  tolerate  become  our  own,  and  public  vices, 
whatever  may  be  our  personal  innocence,  become  our 
particular  Faults.  "  The  labours  of  a  minister  (says 
"  Luther,)  exhaust  the  very  marrow  from  the  bones, 
"  and  hasten  forward  old  age  and  death."*  These 
labours  are  fitly  compared  to  the  toil  of  men  in  har- 
vest, to  the  labours  of  a  woman  in  travail,  and  to  the 
agonies  or  last  efforts  of  soldiers  in  the  extremity  of 
battle.  We  must  watch,  when  others  sleep ;  we  must 
study  to  paleness ;  we  must  preach  to  faintness.  In- 
stant in  season  and  out  of  season,  we  must  instruct 
the  ignorant,  reprove  the  wicked,  exhort  the  negligent, 
alarm  the  presumptuous,  strengthen  the  weak,  visit 
the  sick,  comfort  the  afflicted,  reclaim  the  wandering, 
and  confirm  the  faithful.  Is  there  on  earth  an  office 
of  greater  labour  ;  a  situation  less  easy,  or  more  dan- 
gerous than  ours  ?  Is  there  in  the  world  a  greater  mis- 
rake,  than  to  seek  for  rest  here,  where  least  of  all  it  is 
to  be  found  ? 

But,  although  you  may  not  be  moved  by  the  hopes 
of  gain  or  ease,  yet  still  you  may  be  incited  by  the 
prospect  of  honour.  The  reverence  or  respect  an- 
nexed to  the  sacred  office,  when  properly  discharged, 
may  perhaps  allure  you.  If  this  be  the  motive  of 
any  of  you,  my  brethren,  it  is,  I  fear,  worse  than 
any  of  those  already  mentioned.  No  Scylla  or  Cha- 
ry odis  ever  feigned  by  the  poets,  could  be  more  fa- 
tal to  you  than  this  rock,  on  which  so  many  before 
you  have  made  shipwreck. t  Nay,  Satan  himself  could 

*  "  Labores  Ecclesiastici  exhauriunt  ab  imis  medullis,  se- 
"  nium  mortemque  accelerant." 

+  Teterrimus  ille  vanae  glorias  spiritus  longe  infestior  illo 
Sirenum  portento  quod  poetee  confingunt,  Vid.  Chrysost. 
de  Sacerd* 


LECTURE  XXIX.  291 

*iot  have  contrived  a  more  effectual  way  to  ruin  you 
than  this  ;  for  it  is  to  set  up  yourself  instead  of  Christ, 
it  is  to  preach  yourself  instead  of  him.  And  what 
can  be  more  provoking  to  the  dread  majesty  of  hea- 
ven and  earth,  than  to  sec  a  worm  claim  a  preference 
to  him,  and  his  servant  challenge  more  regard  to  him- 
self, than  to  his  Maker  and  Master  ?  The  language 
of  your  selfish  soul  is  not,  "  What  shall  1  say, 
*  or  how  shall  I  say  it,  so  as  to  please  and  glorify 
"  God,  and  do  most  good  to  the  souls  of  men  ?"* 
but,  "  What  shall  I  say,  and  how  shall  I  deliver  it, 
u  so  as  to  be  thought  an  excellent  preacher,  and  to 
u  be  admired  and  applauded  by  all  who  hear  me?" 
Admiration  and  applause  you  may  perhaps  ob- 
tain, for  these  are  crumbs  which  the  master  of  the 
family  sometimes  throws  to  the  most  worthless  ani- 
mals in  his  house,  for  whom  he  hath  nothing  greater 
in  reserve.  But  then,  when  you  have  these,  verily, 
I  say  unto  you,  you  have  your  reward.  And  a  poor 
reward  it  is,  of  which  the  Spanish  poet,  Lope  cle  Vega. 
has  given  us  the  real  estimate.  To  this  man,  Fame 
had  assigned  one  of  the  highest  seats  in  her  temple. 
No  person  of  eminence  visited  Spain  without  seeking 
his  personal  acquaintance.  Men  yielded  him  pre- 
cedence when  they  met  him  in  the  streets,  and  wo- 
men saluted  him  with  benedictions  when  he  passed 
beneath  their  windows.  During  a  long  life,  all 
ranks  seem  to  have  united  in  honouring,  and  almost 
idolizing  him.  But,  of  all  these  honours,  hear  his 
own  sentiment,  as  he  was  about  to  leave  them. — 
"  True  honour,"  said  he,  "  consists  in  doing  and  be- 
i(  ing  good  ;  and  all  the  applauses  which  1  ever  re- 
"  ceived,  I  would  willingly  exchange  for  the  addL 
a  tion  of  a  single  deed  of  virtue  to  the  actions  of  my 
■<  life." 

*  See  Bostwick's  Serm,  on  the  Influence  of  a  gelfiah  Spirit 
upon  Preaching. 


292  LECTURE  XXIX, 

How  poor,  then,  is  the  applause  which  may  fall 
to  the  vain  and  selfish,  compared  to  the  solid  and 
lasting  reward  of  the  useful  and  faithful  minister  of 
Jesus  !  And,  if  the  first  be  yours,  my  brethren,  in 
the  latter  you  can  never  have  any  share.  For  you 
will  never  be  honoured  as  the  instruments  of  saving 
souls.  Or  if,  by  an  uncommon  miracle,  and  the 
extraordinary  grace  of  God,  you  should,  yet  be  as- 
sured, that,  after  having  thus  preached  the  gospel  to 
others,  you  yourselves  must  be  cast  away,  Many 
of  those  servants  whom  the  King  of  heaven  hath 
sent  out  to  invite  his  guests,  although  they  may  have 
had  some  success  in  their  message,  will  not  have  the 
honour  of  sitting  down  with  him  at  his  table ;  yet 
he  will  gird  himself,  and,  as  it  were,  condescend  to 
'serve  such  of  them  as  were  most  zealous  and  faith- 
ful, whose  sole  aim  was  to  promote  his  glory,  and 
bring  souls  to  heaven. 

In  subordination,  however,  to  this  honour,  which 
comes  from  God,  I  would  not  have  you  to  be  al- 
together indifferent  to  that  which  comes  from  men, 
especially  from  the  wise  and  good.  To  the  man 
who  combines  great  virtue  with  great  knowledge, 
and  who  employs  both  in  promoting  the  temporal 
and  eternal  interests  of  mankind,  the  veneration  of 
mankind  is  due;  and,  to  make  altogether  light  of 
it,  is  rather  a  sign  of  pride  than  of  humility.  But, 
if  this  honour  is  not  altogether  to  be  despised,  it  is 
still  less  to  be  courted,  and,  least  of  all,  to  be  aimed 
at.  We  preach  not  ourselves,  but  Christ  .Icsus  the 
Lord.  And,  if  we  preach  him  as  we  ought,  our  dis- 
courses will  rather  be  felt  by  the  heart,  than  praised 
by  the  tongue.  That  they  should  be  followed  by 
both  these  effects,  was  thought  so  unlikely  by  one 
of  the  fathers,  that  he  wept  when  his  hearers  praised 
his  sermon  ;  for  then  he  thought  he  had  missed  his 
purpose. 


LECTURE    XXIX.  293 

Besides  examining  thus  into  the  purity  of  your  in- 
tentions, you  must  observe,  that  your  morals  he  also 
pure.  Read,  read  often  and  carefully,  the  epistles 
of  Paul  to  Timothy  and  Titus.  These,  as  St.  Aii- 
gustin  says,  ought  to  lie  for  ever  before  the  eyes  of 
all  persons  set  apart  for  the  holy  ministry.  In  these 
you  see  what  an  unblemished  character  is  required 
of  such  a  minister  in  holy  things.  And,  without 
such  a  character,  you  must  not  presume  to  enter  the 
holy  of  holies,  lest  the  invisible  hand  of  that  God, 
who  guards  his  own  sanctuary,  thrust  you  back 
as  a  bold  intruder,  and  a  profaner  of  his  holy  place 
and  name.  The  man  who  appeared  at  the  gospel 
supper  in  an  ordinary  robe,  without  the  wedding 
garment,  is  rejected,  although  called  ;  and  will  you, 
in  a  robe  only  ordinary,  appear  where  you  are  to 
preside,  to  distribute,  and  to  consecrate  ?  If  God  re- 
quired, that  even  his  sacrifices  should  be  without 
blemish,  how  can  he  bear  that  the  priest  himself 
should  be  impure  ?  Can  you,  uncalled  of  God,  thrust 
yourself  forward,  without  the  necessary  qualifica- 
tion which  we  speak  of,  to  that  altar  which  even 
angels  may  approach  with  fear  ?  Can  you,  being 
dead  yourself,  become  the  minister  of  life  to  others  ? 
Can  you  inspire  them  with  a  love  to  that  piety  to 
which  your  own  soul  is  a  stranger  ?  No  ;  the  man 
that  shall  ascend  to  the  hill  of  God,  or  dwell  within  his 
holy  place,  must  have  a  pure  heart,  and  clean  hands. 
Like  the  brightness  of  Goshen  amidst  the  obscurity 
of  Egypt,  his  example  and  conversation  must  be 
a  burning  and  shining  light  amidst  the  ignorance 
and  darkness  of  the  world.  He  must  have  a  more 
than  ordinary  piety,  and,  with  all  that,  a  lively  and 
deep  sense  of  his  own  unworthiness  impressed  upon 
his  soul.  He  must  have  that  soft  and  gentle,  that 
meek  and  humble,  that  charitable  and  compassion- 
ate temper,  which  Jesus  requires  more  peculiarly  of 
his  ministers,  and  of  which  he  himself  was  so  bright 


294  LlXTURE    XXiX. 

a  pattern.  lie  must  be  willing,  that  all  he  is,  and 
all  he  has,  should  be  spent,  and,  as  it  were,  ab- 
sorbed in  the  service  of  God.  For,  the  glory  of 
God,  in  the  salvation  of  souls,  is  the  end  in  which 
all  his  prayers,  desires,  studies,  labours,  living  and 
dying,  ought  to  centre.  And,  if  he  may  only  pro- 
mote this,  he  obtains  his  highest  wish,  his  joy  is 
fulfilled.  For,  his  heart's  desire  is  to  sacrifice  him* 
self,  his  means,  his  health,  his  life,  to  Christ ;  beg- 
ging of  him  to  dispose  absolutely  of  them  all,  for 
the  advancement  of  his  glory,  in  the  salvation  of 
his  people.  And  if  such,  my  young  brethren,  are 
not  your  morals,  if  such  are  not  your  sentiments 
and  dispositions,  you  ought  to  have  neither  lot  nor 
<part  in  this  matter. 

You  must  further  examine,  if  you  have  talents 
suited  to  the  sacred  office  to  which  you  aspire.  Mo- 
ses himself,  however  well  qualified  by  all  his  learn- 
ing and  wisdom,  was  afraid  to  enter  on  the  embas- 
sy to  which  God  called  him,  because  he  was  slotv  of 
speech.  Men  rush  not  on  ordinary  employments  in 
life,  without  talents  suited  to  these  employments. 
And  will  you,  without  the  proper  qualifications,  ven- 
ture upon  the  most  august  and  important  office  un- 
der heaven  ?  "  Were  1  desired,"  says  Chrysostom*, 
64  to  pilot  a  ship,  with  the  most  valuable  cargo, 
*  through  the  tempestuous  iEgean  sea,  1  would 
u  resile  with  terror  from  the  dangerous  office  to 
u  which  I  was  not  equal."  But  how  much  more 
dangerous  and  important  is  the  task  of  guiding 
souls  to  happiness  ?  And  how  rash  and  mad  must  he 
be,  who  will  undertake  it  without  the  proper  qua- 
lifications ?  How  many  souls  must  he  involve,  to- 
gether with  his  own,  in  one  general  ruin  ! 
3  Besides  talents,  you  must  have  an  insatiable  pas- 
sion  for  study  and*  improvement,  without  which  the 

*  De  Sacerd. 


LF.CTURE    XXIX.  295 

brightest  talents  will  soon  contract  a  rust,  and  be- 
come, in  a  great  measure,  useless  to  the  world,  and 
to  their  owner,  lie,  therefore,  who  neglects  to  cul- 
tivate his  talent,  acts  the  same  part  with  him  in  the 
gospel,  who  hid  it  in  a  napkin,  and  may  one  day 
expect  to  share  in  his  fate.  But  of  this  subject  I 
have  spoken  already,  and  need  not  hero  enlarge. 
Let  me  rather  eall  upon  you,  my  young  brethren, 
to  examine,  in  the  presence  of  the  great  Searcher 
of  hearts,  whether  your  views  be  upright,  your  mo 
rals  pure,  your  talents  good,  and  your  application 
to  study  unwearied  and  unremitting.  Examine, 
whether  you  have  that  knowledge,  zeal,  piety, 
meekness,  love,  and  other  qualifications  mentioned, 
as  belonging  to  the  sacred  character.  If  you  have,  we 
rejoice  to  give  you  the  right  hand  of  fellowship.  And, 
when  God  thinks  fit  to  call  us  away,  we  shall,  with 
the  greatest  pleasure,  resign  our  life,  and  resign  our 
charge,  when  we  have  the  view  of  being  more  worthi- 
ly succeeded. 

But,  if  you  have  not  these  qualifications,  wc 
tremble  for  the  church,  we  tremble  for  the  souls  of 
whom  you  take  the  charge,  but,  most  of  all,  we 
tremble  for  yourselves,  when  we  see  you  come  for . 
ward,  with  unhallowed  hands,  to  touch  the  ark. 
Any  pretence  of  a  call  to  the  sacred  office,  without 
the  qualifications,  is  false.  Without  these  you  must 
not,  therefore,  rush  upon  an  office  with  which  God 
hath  not  honoured  even  angels.  And,  to  thrust 
yourselves  forward  in  the  place  of  Christ,  as  his 
ambassadors,  and  to  handle  his  ordinances,  uncom- 
missioned, uncalled,  unqualified ;  heavens !  what 
treasures  of  wrath  must  you  heap  on  yourselves  if 
you  do  it.  You  may  perhaps  think,  that  a  call  or 
commission  from  men  may  bear  you  out.  Ah!  no; 
their  licence  is  but  a  permission  to  rush  on  to  your 
own  perdition  ;  their  imposition  of  hands  is  but  the 
giving  you  over,  as  a  devoted  victim,  to  the  wrath 


296  LECTURE    XXIX. 

of  heaven.  It  is  but  loading  your  head,  like  that  of 
the  scape-goat  of  old  (if  I  may  use  so  sacred  a  type 
for  a  comparison),  not  with  your  own  sins,  but  with 
the  sins  of  your  people.  Wherefore,  my  young- 
brethren,  I  beseech  you,  let  no  vain  imagination  of 
profit,  honour,  or  ease,  impel  you  blindly  on  to  this 
important  office,  where  the  things  which  you  seek  can 
never  be  found  by  you,  or  found  only  with  damna- 
tion involved  in  their  bosom,  as  thunderbolts  in 
clouds,  whose  skirts  at  a  distance  may  seem  to  be 
fair.  Yes,  my  brethren,  if  higher  views  do  not  at- 
tract you,  soon  will  you  find,  that  you  are  but 
scrambling  up  the  face  of  a  precipice,  where  the  dan- 
ger of  tumbling  down  increases  every  step  as  you 
go  forward.  And  should  you  reach  the  height  to 
which  you  aspire,  you  will  by  no  means  find  there 
the  ease  and  comfort  which  you  expected.  You 
will  stand  trembling  on  the  dangerous  eminence,  and 
wish  you  had  still  remained  in  the  safe,  but  humble 
valley,  from  which  you  departed.  Nor  shall  you 
stand  long,  when  the  last  awful  messenger,  commis- 
sioned by  God,  shall  toss  you  headlong  down,  and 
the  divine  wrath  pursue  you  to  the  lowest  hell.  For 
it  may  be  justly  inferred,  that  no  man  can  have  a 
larger  share  in  the  miseries  of  another  life,  than  a 
wicked  minister. 

But  you  will,  perhaps,  tell  me,  that  you  will  re- 
form, and  acquire,  in  the  exercise  of  the  sacred  of- 
fice, those  dispositions  which  you  did  not  bring  to  it, 
I  answer,  Never,  without  a  miracle,  upon  which 
you,  of  all  men,  have  the  least  title  to  presume. 
For  he  'who  enters  upon  the  ministry  without  piety, 
is  much  more  likely  to  arrive  soon  at  profanity. 
"  He  contracts  a  callousness  by  his  insensible  way  of 
"  handling  divine  matters,  by  which  he  becomes  har- 
"  dened  against  them,  and  by  which  he  is  so  far  put 
"  out  of  the  reach  of  conviction,  in  all  the  ordina- 
w  ry  methods  of  grace,  that  it  is  scarce  possible  he. 


LECTURE  XXIX.  297 

*  can  ever  be  awakened,  and,  by  consequence,  that 
"  he  can  be  saved.  And  if  he  perishes,  he  must  fall 
u  into  the  lowest  degree  of  misery,  even  to  the  por- 
u  tion  of  hypocrites ;  for  his  whole  life  is  a  course  of 
"  hypocrisy,  in  the  strictest  sense  of  the  word,  which 

*  is  acting  a  part,  and  the  counterfeiting  another  per- 
"  son.  His  sins  have  in  them  all  possible  aggrava- 
€i  tion  ;  they  are  against  knowledge,  and  against  vows, 
"  and  contrary  to  his  character  ;  they  carry  in  them 
"  a  deliberate  contempt  of  all  the  truths  and  obliga- 
"  tions  of  religion  ,  and,  if  he  perishes,  he  doth  not 
"  perish  alone  ;  but  he  carries  a  shoal  down  with 
Wb  him,  either  of  those  who  have  perished  in  igno- 
"  ranee  through  his  neglect,  or  of  those  who  have 
"  been  hardened  in  sin  through  his  ill  example."* 

I  repeat  it,  my  brethren,  he  who  enters  on  this 
office  with  wrong  views  and  dispositions,  commits 
an  error  in  the  foundation,  which,  instead  of  mend- 
ing, becomes  the  more  dangerous  as  the  buildino- 
advances.  Such  a  person  is  the  object  of  God's 
wrath ;  and  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  only  sanctifier, 
will  not  vouchsafe  to  dwell  with  him.  The  very  or- 
dinances, of  which  he  is  the  dispenser,  will  serve 
only  to  harden  him.  Every  time  he  administers 
them,  he  commits  a  new  crime.  He  was  born  in 
sin,  he  lives  in  guilt,  he  dies  in  impenitence.  He 
sinks  under  the  guilt  of  usurpation  and  profanation 
together.  His  disease  is  incurable  as  the  wound  of 
Samaria. 

You  see,  then,  my  young  brethren,  how  you  ought 
to  conceive  of  this  august  office,  on  which  you  are 
about  to  enter.  You  see  the  views,  the  morals,  and 
the  talents  which  you  ought  to  have,  if  you  would 
handle  the  mysteries  of  God,  and  stand  at  his  holy 
altar.  Examine,  therefore,  if  you  are  possessed  of 
these,  and  use  every  mean  to  ripen,  strengthen,  and 

*  Massjlon. 

O  o 


298  LECTURE  XXIX. 

perfect  them.  Keep  always  the  end  of  the  sacred 
office  in  view  ;  and,  in  your  conduct,  conversation, 
and  company,  show  that  you  are  separated  from  the 
world,  devoted  to  God,  and  probationers  for  the 
ministry.  Be  guarded  in  the  choice  of  your  compa- 
ny, be  circumspect  in  your  conduct,  and  let  your 
conversation  be  grave,  cheerful,  and  modest.  Avoid 
alike  flattery  and  slander,  words  that  are  idle,  as 
well  as  those  that  are  hurtful ;  and  consider  your 
selves,  each  as  an  apostle,  whose  speech  should  al- 
ways tend  to  edify.  Be  not  conformed  to  the  world, 
nor  to  it's  vain  customs,  nor  follow  the  maxims  and 
manners  of  worldly  men.  For  this  purpose,  keep 
always  in  your  eye  the  example  of  your  Master,  and 
the  precepts  of  the  gospel,  and  consider  what  holi- 
ness of  life,  and  purity  of  heart,  they  require  in  the 
sacred  character  with  which  you  are  about  to  be 
invested.  In  this  straight  line  hold  on  immovably, 
without  turning  to  the  right  or  to  the  left,  though 
men  should  say  you  are  stiff  and  formal.  Never  af- 
fect to  please  in  any  thing  foreign  to  your  character ; 
for,  if  you  have  social  and  convivial  talents,  you 
may  therefore  fall  into  a  snare.  Neither  are  you  to 
put  on  the  affectation  of  extraordinary  sanctity  ;  for 
cant  and  grimace  are  both  suspicious  and  disgusting. 
You  may  be  holy,  without  coveting  too  much  to  be 
thought  so.  It  is  best,  with  the  simplicity  of  children, 
to  appear  always  the  very  thing  you  are,  without  ma- 
king any  show  of  being  better,  which  would  make 
you  suspected  of  being  worse,  if  you  are  sometimes 
in  company,  be  still  oftener  in  retirement,  and  prac- 
tise self-denial  in  all  it's  parts,  even  to  severity.  Re* 
member,  that  even  what  is  lawful  may  be  far  from  ex- 
pedient. How  oft  has  this  been  verified  by  the  impru- 
dence of  forming  too  early  the  innocent  connections 
with  the  other  sex  \  an  error  the  more  dangerous, 
that  it  is  beyond  the  reach  of  cure  from  repentance. 
In  this  respect,  then,  keep  your  hearts  with  all  uili- 


LECTURE  XJtlX.  £09 

gence  :  or,  in  other  words,  keep  your  distance.  "  The 
u  heart  of  a  young  man  beside  a  young  woman,'' 
says  an  Eastern  poet,  "  is  like  butter  before  the  fire  ; 
*;  it  will  melt  if  you  do  not  keep  at  a  distance."  Be, 
therefore,  wise  as  serpents,  while  you  are  innocent  as 
doves.  Above  all  things,  be  much  in  prayer,  much 
in  meditation,*  much  in  study.  In  regard  to  the 
plan  of  study  which  you  ought  to  follow,  or  the 
books  you  ought  to  read  in  every  science,  particu- 
larly your  own,  it  is  difficult  to  give  you  any  gene- 
ral rules,  the  tastes  and  capacities,  and  circumstances, 
and  situations  of  men  being  so  various ;  and  new 
books,  like  new  generations  of  men,  daily  pushing  the 
old  off  the  stage,  and  occupying  their  place.  It  is  best 
to  leave  you  to  some  pious,  prudent,  and  learned 
friend  ;  only  recommending  to  you  to  avoid  all  idle 
and  profane  books,  and,  above  all  things,  to  read  and 
search  the  scriptures.  He  is  always  the  best  divine 
who  is  best  acquainted  with  the  scriptures. t  Be, 
therefore,  always  conversant  with  them,  and  set  your 
hearts  betimes  on  acquiring  and  excelling  in  all  those 
dispositions  and  qualifications  which  we  have  shown 
to  be  essential  to  the  sacred  character.  May  these 
be  in  you  and  abound !  May  the  Lord  of  the  har- 
vest pave  the  way  for  your  entering  into  his  vine- 
yard :  and,  when  you  shall  have  come  in,  may  he 
bless  your  labours  with  abundant  success  !  In  the 
mean  time,  may  we,  who  are  already  engaged  in  the 
sacred  office,  always  maintain  the  like  thoughts  of 
it's  nature  and  importance.  We  are  the  servants  of 
God,  the  ambassadors  of  Christ,  and  the  ministers  of 
his  love  to  mankind.  Let  us  imitate  his  example  in 
meekness,  tenderness,  hcavenly-mindednes  9  piety  and 
zeal.     His  zeal  is  great  for  us  ;  let  ours  be  so  for  him* 


*  Tria  faciunt  theologum,  precatio,  meditatio,  tentatio. 

Luther. 
f  Bonus  textuarius,  bonus  theologus. — Lvthbb* 


300  LECTURE   XXIX, 

Let  us  leave  to  the  dead  the  burying  of  their  dead 
Let  us  leave  to  the  world  it's  cares  and  contentions 
about  things  of  little  moment.  We  are  called  to  a 
higher  warfare ;  to  advance  the  kingdom  of  Christ, 
to  gain  souls,  to  save  ourselves.  With  indefatigable 
zeal  and  patience,  let  us  try  every  way  to  execute 
our  commission.  Let  us  have  bowels  of  pity  for  sin- 
ners, who  are  nodding  on  the  edge  of  a  tremendous 
precipice,  on  the  brink  of  a  flaming  tophet.  Our 
glorious  opportunities  are  hastening  to  a  close.  A 
few  more  days,  and  we  must  be  no  longer  stewards. 
Life,  like  a  rapid  stream,  is  passing  by,  Death,  on  his 
pale  horse,  approaches ;  and  behind  him  follow  hea- 
ven and  hell,  those  glorious  and  dreadful  realities, 
to  one  or  other  of  which  every  soul  that  leaves  this 
world  is  eternally  assigned.  Let  us  then,  for  the 
love  of  God,  in  the  name  and  bowels  of  Jesus,  and 
in  compassion  to  immortal  souls  of  which  we  have 
the  charge,  be  zealous  and  diligent  in  our  labours, 
that  we  may  be  able  to  give  our  account  with  joy, 
and  not  with  grief.  Let  our  diligence  increase  in  pro- 
portion as  we  approach  the  goal,  and  often  reflect  on 
the  hastening  moment  that  shall  end  our  warfare. 
Let  us  sow  the  seed,  let  us  plant,  let  us  water. — 
And,  though  we  may  not  always  see  a  ready  and  vi- 
sible success,  yet  he  who  giveth  the  increase,  know- 
eth  in  what  time  it  is  fittest  to  do  it ;  perhaps  when  our 
eye  can  no  longer  behold  it.  The  seed  grew,  saith 
our  Saviour,  'white  the  husbandmen  slept.  We  would 
wish  to  see  the  immediate  fruit  of  our  labour  ;  but 
God  doth  not  always  permit  this,  lest  we  should  as- 
cribe to  ourselves  the  effects  of  his  grace,  and  the 
work  of  his  spirit.  His  will  be  done.  Only  let  us 
be  diligent,  and  leave  our  portion  of  the  vineyard 
more  improved  to  other  labourers,  who  will  very  soon 
succeed  us.  Then,  although  one  sow  and  another 
reap,  we  shall  rejoice  together  in  the  day  of  harvest. 
Amen. 


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